Best Practices in OT Vulnerability Management: OT Vulnerability Prioritization is Different

This blog post explains how vulnerability prioritization in OT differs from IT, outlining a four-stage vulnerability management process (discover, identify/classify, prioritize, remediate/mitigate/accept) and emphasizing OT-specific risk dimensions such as operational impact, connectivity, and vendor relationships. It cites Dragos analysis showing a marked increase in ICS/OT CVEs and common advisory deficiencies (errors in CVSS scoring, lack of patches or mitigations), stresses that only a small share of OT vulnerabilities were actively exploited in the wild, and advocates for mature, automated programs to guide remediation priorities.