Internet-exposed fuel-gauge systems decline, but critical exposure remains
Industrial Cyber reported on August 7, 2026 that BitSight observed a 56% decline in U.S. internet-exposed automatic tank gauge (ATG) systems from the March peak; exposure on ATG protocol port 10001 fell from 4,214 unique U.S. IP addresses in January to 1,466 in June, while port 8001 exposure declined only from 885 to 849. The article notes more than 800 U.S. addresses on port 8001 and hundreds of vulnerable web-facing consoles remained exposed, cites agency warnings of malicious activity against internet-exposed ATGs, and recommends removing systems from the public internet, strengthening authentication, applying updates, and monitoring for unauthorized access; it also notes that a firewall or VPN reduces external visibility but does not remove risk from device vulnerabilities or lateral movement.
OT threat focus shifts from extortion toward destructive disruption
Cybersecurity Insiders published an August 7, 2026 analysis stating OT attackers are increasingly using destructive tactics that can permanently damage or delete critical operational data rather than only stealing data or encrypting files for ransom. The analysis identifies energy, water, manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare as sectors where disruption of physical processes can create economic and public-safety consequences, and it advocates network segmentation, continuous monitoring, timely patch management, employee awareness, and comprehensive incident response planning.
Source: Cybersecurity Insiders
Utility and city IoT programs need security designed into the network
IoT Insider’s current utility-and-city IoT security article highlights five recurring network-control themes framed as foundational design considerations for connected municipal and utility environments: stronger device authentication in place of shared keys, encrypted messages, secure over-the-air firmware upgrades, application security, and avoidance of gateways that become a single point of weakness.
