Honeywell Technologies has released its 2026 Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity Benchmark Report, highlighting the growing cybersecurity challenges facing industrial automation and critical infrastructure. The report is based on a survey of more than 600 industrial cybersecurity leaders across sectors including energy, utilities, oil and gas, manufacturing, healthcare, and maritime operations.

OT Visibility Remains a Major Challenge

One of the key findings is the gap between perceived cybersecurity maturity and actual visibility across operational technology environments.

According to the report, 88% of respondents described their OT cybersecurity programs as mature, while only 21% reported having a complete inventory of their OT assets. This difference is important for industrial organizations because effective cybersecurity depends on knowing which PLCs, DCS controllers, HMIs, engineering workstations, industrial networks, sensors, and connected devices are operating within the environment.

Incomplete asset visibility can make it more difficult for security teams to identify unauthorized devices, outdated equipment, vulnerable communication paths, or unexpected changes to industrial networks.

Cyber Incidents Can Directly Affect Production

Unlike conventional IT environments, OT systems are directly connected to physical processes. A cybersecurity incident involving a PLC, DCS, SCADA server, industrial network, or engineering workstation can therefore affect production, equipment availability, and potentially physical safety.

Honeywell’s research found that organizations experienced an average of 16.2 hours of downtime from their most significant cybersecurity incidents, while reported losses could reach $500,000 per hour.

The survey also identified significant differences between industries. Energy and utilities respondents reported particularly high exposure, with 91% saying they had experienced a significant OT cybersecurity incident during the previous 12 months. Maritime respondents reported an 87% incident rate.

AI Is Becoming Part of OT Security

Artificial intelligence is emerging as another important component of industrial cybersecurity.

Honeywell reported that 99% of respondents expect AI to affect OT security within the next two to three years. At the same time, fully autonomous or agentic security operations remain relatively limited, with only 23% reporting autonomous or agentic operation for threat detection.

AI-enabled security tools can assist industrial teams with analyzing large volumes of network information, identifying unusual behavior, monitoring connected assets, and prioritizing potential threats.

However, industrial environments require additional safeguards because security actions can affect real-time production systems. Human oversight, defined operating boundaries, and carefully controlled deployment remain important when introducing AI into PLC, DCS, SCADA, and other OT environments.

Connecting OT Security with Industrial Automation

Modern industrial cybersecurity is increasingly moving beyond traditional network protection. Security teams need visibility across the complete automation architecture, including:

• PLC and PAC controllers
• DCS platforms
• SCADA systems
• HMI and engineering stations
• Industrial Ethernet networks
• Remote I/O systems
• Industrial gateways
• Sensors and connected devices
• Safety systems
• Remote-access infrastructure

Honeywell’s existing cybersecurity portfolio includes OT security assessment, monitoring, secure remote access, threat detection, response, and recovery capabilities designed specifically for industrial control environments.

Importance of Cybersecurity for DCS and PLC Modernization

As factories and process plants modernize legacy automation systems, cybersecurity needs to be considered alongside controller performance, communication protocols, system redundancy, and lifecycle support.

Replacing an old PLC or upgrading a DCS can introduce additional network connections and software components. Without appropriate asset visibility and security controls, modernization can potentially expand the attack surface.

For this reason, future automation projects are increasingly expected to integrate cybersecurity into the design stage rather than treating it as a separate IT activity after commissioning.

Conclusion

Honeywell’s 2026 OT Cybersecurity Benchmark highlights an important trend in industrial automation: cybersecurity, asset visibility, and AI are becoming increasingly interconnected with the operation of PLC, DCS, SCADA, and industrial network infrastructure.

As industrial facilities become more connected and intelligent, cybersecurity strategies will need to evolve alongside automation technologies. For manufacturers and process industries, maintaining accurate OT asset inventories, improving network visibility, strengthening incident response, and carefully introducing AI-based security technologies will remain important elements of modern industrial operations.