Daily OT Security News: June 06, 2026
This briefing summarizes the latest developments in operational technology, industrial control systems, and critical infrastructure security. Today’s coverage includes active cyberattacks on fuel infrastructure, rising ransomware campaigns targeting manufacturing and healthcare, critical vulnerabilities in enterprise VPN solutions, advances in AI-driven vulnerability research for OT environments, and emerging automotive security trends for 2026.
Exposed Fuel Tank Gauges Under Active Cyberattack in the US
CISA, FBI, NSA, and five other US federal agencies issued a joint advisory warning that threat actors—including groups loosely linked to Iran—are actively targeting Internet-exposed automatic tank gauge (ATG) systems at gas stations and industrial facilities across the United States. Shadowserver scans identified 909 vulnerable ATGs exposed on the open Web, with attackers capable of altering tank readings, disabling safety alerts, and manipulating pump controls. Agencies urge operators to immediately remove ATGs from the public Internet, enforce credential hygiene, and apply available patches.
Source: Dark Reading
Global Ransomware Activity Rises in May 2026; Manufacturing and Healthcare Targeted
Comparitech recorded 661 ransomware attacks worldwide in May 2026, representing a 3% increase from April, with manufacturing organizations among the most frequently confirmed victims across the US, Japan, India, Germany, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Italy. Qilin, The Gentlemen, and DragonForce led activity with nearly 115 TB of data reportedly stolen, while the US remained the most targeted country with 272 attacks. Healthcare attacks rose 10% year-over-year and education sector attacks spiked 54% month-over-month, with West Pharmaceutical Services confirming a May 4 attack that disrupted systems for two weeks.
Source: Industrial Cyber
PAN-OS CVE-2026-0257 Authentication Bypass Actively Exploited in the Wild
Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2026-0257, an authentication bypass vulnerability in the GlobalProtect portal and gateway components of PAN-OS that allows threat actors to circumvent security controls and initiate unauthorized VPN connections. The CVE was added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerability (KEV) catalog on May 29, 2026, and organizations are urged to hunt for published indicators of compromise, apply workarounds, and upgrade to patched PAN-OS versions immediately. This vulnerability is particularly relevant to OT/ICS environments that rely on GlobalProtect for remote access to operational networks.
Source: Palo Alto Networks Unit 42
Dragos Joins Anthropic’s Project Glasswing to Apply AI to OT Vulnerability Research
OT cybersecurity leader Dragos announced it has joined Anthropic’s Project Glasswing, applying the Claude Mythos Preview AI model to explore the Dragos Platform for novel vulnerabilities in operational technology environments. The initiative aims to advance AI-assisted vulnerability discovery specifically for OT systems that underpin power grids, water systems, pipelines, and manufacturing operations, addressing a gap where most prior AI security research has focused on IT systems. Dragos will share findings with the broader security community to inform how frontier AI models perform against software protecting critical infrastructure.
Source: Dragos
Top 10 Automotive OT Security Trends for 2026: Compliance, Software-Defined Vehicles, and AI Risk
A new analysis from OT Ecosystem identifies ten critical automotive OT security trends shaping 2026, including compliance-driven engineering under ISO/SAE 21434 and UNECE R155/R156, the expanding attack surface of software-defined vehicles, and the growing importance of SBOMs for supply-chain transparency. The report highlights that the 2025 Jaguar Land Rover cyberattack demonstrated how cyber events are now business continuity events for automakers, with zero trust being formally adapted for OT environments per CISA’s 2026 OT guidance and EV charging infrastructure now considered part of the automotive security perimeter. Board-level resilience and recovery planning are identified as non-negotiable strategic priorities.
Source: OT Ecosystem
