As critical infrastructure operators deploy firewalls and enforce IT/OT separation, a quieter but equally urgent threat persists: unmanaged remote access. Whether through vendor-installed 4G routers, legacy VPNs, or emergency tools like TeamViewer, many organizations already have remote connectivity in place - often invisible to security teams. These "shadow" access points create forgotten backdoors that bypass perimeter defenses and expose OT environments to compromise.

In this session, Will Burnett, senior solution architect at Xona, will explore:

• Why secure remote access should be a foundational layer of modern OT cybersecurity strategy;
• Hidden risks of traditional remote access methods revealed through real-world deployment experiences;
• Practical approaches to delivering secure, monitored policy-driven access controlled by OT teams.