Research Report: Internet-Connected Industrial Control Systems (Part One)

Censys research identifies widespread Internet exposure of ICS devices in the U.S. and U.K., finding over 40,000 connected ICS devices (about 18,000 likely industrial), many HMIs and admin interfaces with default or no authentication, and examples of active compromises by state-affiliated groups that manipulated water facility systems—demonstrating a large attack surface where exposed protocols, unauthenticated HMIs, and default credentials enable disruptive operations against critical infrastructure.