Claroty Survey: Economic Instability Driving Higher Cyber Risks for Cyber-Physical Systems

New research from Claroty suggests that shifting global economic conditions and geopolitical tensions are creating added risks for cyber-physical systems (CPS) environments.

The company’s report, The Global State of CPS Security 2025, draws on survey data from 1,100 professionals across cybersecurity, OT engineering, biomedical engineering, and facilities operations.

Almost half of respondents (49%) said supply chain disruptions tied to economic and political shifts have raised cyber risk for CPS assets. Forty-five percent expressed doubts about their ability to reduce risk to critical systems or even fully understand their current risk posture. Two-thirds reported reconsidering the geography of their supply chains as part of a strategy to reduce exposure.

Third-party access was flagged as a particularly weak link. Forty-six percent said they had experienced a breach in the past year tied to vendor access, and more than half (54%) discovered gaps in contracts only after incidents occurred. In response, 73% are reassessing how external vendors connect to CPS operations.

Regulatory uncertainty is another layer of complexity. While nearly 70% of organizations said they already follow frameworks such as NIST or ENISA, three-quarters believe emerging requirements may force significant changes to security programs, with potential knock-on effects for efficiency.

“Attackers often see times of instability as opportunities to strike. Distracted defenders are ineffective defenders,” said Sean Tufts, Claroty’s Field CTO, pointing to the increased targeting of critical infrastructure. "The survey results show that economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions are making it harder for security teams to protect critical systems, compounded by third-party vulnerabilities that are further driving up risk. While the challenge is great, the opportunity for organizations to fundamentally shift how they approach their CPS security is greater."

Respondents cited regular security audits (49%) and process improvements around change approvals (45%) as the leading steps they are prioritizing to mitigate risk and strengthen compliance.

To learn more, download the full report: The Global State of CPS Security 2025: Navigating Risk in an Uncertain Economic Landscape.

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