Claroty report finds critical security flaws in data center systems

A new report titled ‘State of CPS Security: Data Center Exposures’ by Claroty reveals significant security vulnerabilities within the cyber-physical systems (CPS) of global data centers. After analyzing over 750,000 CPS components, the study found that one in five systems, such as HVAC or uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), possess serious flaws that could allow attackers to gain access to data center infrastructure.

Key findings indicate that 41% of power distribution units and 32% of HVAC/cooling systems are either directly exposed to the internet or only one step away from a dangerous connection. Furthermore, 88% of building management systems (BMS) are exposed through insecure communication protocols, and 40% operate on outdated firmware. Over 80% of OT control systems, power monitoring solutions, and IoT systems utilize obsolete protocols like BACnet and MODBUS, while 23% of IoT devices exhibit known, exploited vulnerabilities.