The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, or NCCoE, is launching a new project aimed at enhancing visibility into operational technology, or OT, environments across critical infrastructure sectors, Federal News Network reported Thursday.
NIST’s efforts to enhance asset visibility highlight the need to strengthen cybersecurity. Learn more about how the government and industry are addressing rising cyberthreats at Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Cyber Summit on May 21. Register now!
Table of Contents
Why Is NIST Prioritizing OT Asset Visibility?
According to NCCoE Director Cherilyn Pascoe, the project follows discussions with multiple critical infrastructure sectors that identified asset management and visibility as a primary challenge. Pascoe noted that visibility is difficult in industrial control systems due to legacy equipment and distributed environments.
The OT cybersecurity project builds on earlier NCCoE efforts in water and wastewater cybersecurity and on guidance for transit agencies implementing NIST’s cybersecurity framework. It is intended to address concerns about threats to OT environments targeting critical infrastructure, including risks posed by advances in artificial intelligence.
Many organizations, particularly smaller utilities, lack a comprehensive inventory of their OT assets, hindering their ability to defend against nation-state attacks. The new project aims to provide foundational guidance on identifying these components in complex industrial control system environments.
How Will NIST Advance the Effort?
NIST plans to establish a consortium of industry and government participants to support the project. The effort will examine how existing standards and frameworks can be applied to enhance visibility and how commercially available technologies can be used to build supporting architectures. The center is also evaluating potential uses of AI to support these efforts.
NIST Expands OT Cybersecurity Efforts
The new project aligns with other efforts to strengthen OT cybersecurity guidance across evolving threat environments. In January, NIST announced plans to update its Guide to Operational Technology Security special publication to incorporate lessons learned, align with related agency guidance and address emerging risks. The initiative also follows the release of a preliminary draft of the Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Artificial Intelligence, which provides guidance on the secure adoption of AI and addresses cybersecurity risks tied to its rapid advancement.
Related Articles
The Defense Innovation Unit has appointed Steve Butow as senior adviser to DIU Director and 2026 Wash100 Award winner Owen West. DIU said in a LinkedIn post Friday that Butow will also serve as a member of its executive committee. In his new roles, Butow will align the unit’s strategic direction with the joint force’s operational priorities. “Extremely honored to advise and assist Owen West and the rest of our DIU team with rapidly fielding commercially-derived technologies that create and sustain asymmetric advantage for the joint warfighter,” he commented on LinkedIn. Defense leaders, including the Air Force’s Gen. John Lamontagne,
Hung Cao, a 2026 Wash100 Award winner, identified his immediate priorities as the new acting secretary of the Navy in a video address to the force posted on the social media site X on Friday. Navy leaders will discuss shipbuilding, sailor readiness and other priorities at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Navy Summit on Aug. 27. The event will have keynote speeches from top decision-makers at the Navy, panel discussions featuring defense officials and industry executives, and networking opportunities. Tickets are available here. What Are Hung Cao’s Three Priorities for the Navy? Cao, a retired U.S. Navy captain, said his first
The U.S. Army has issued a call for solutions under its Rapid Electromagnetic Warfare and Signals Intelligence, or REWSI, initiative, seeking commercial technologies to support electromagnetic spectrum operations. The effort, released through the Army’s open solicitation commercial solutions opening via the VULCAN portal, is designed to streamline how the service identifies and acquires emerging capabilities for operational use, the service branch said Friday. Submissions will be accepted until April 22, 2027. The 2026 Army Summit, hosted by the Potomac Officers Club on June 18, will bring together Army leaders and industry stakeholders to examine how the service is adapting its