Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Everybody loves a good throwback. Flip phones, vinyl records, and maybe even the dial-up tone for nostalgia’s sake. But if your operational technology (OT) and industrial internet of things (IIoT) environment is still relying on traditional VPNs to connect users, vendors, and machines, that’s one throwback you really don’t want. OT systems have evolved. They’re smarter, more connected, and unfortunately more vulnerable than ever.

Ransomware attacks are still causing serious financial and reputational damage to organizations. In May 2024, they made up 32% of all reported cyber incidents, and 92% of industries saw them as a major threat. These attacks lock important data and ask organizations for payment to regain access. Even after paying, attackers might have already gone through the whole system and left loopholes for future attacks. In some cases, ransomware hides in a network for a long time before being noticed.

With the introduction of WormGPT in 2023, threat actors have been using uncensored large language models (LLMs) for malicious activities. Following the shutdown of WormGPT in the same year, numerous alternatives have emerged—including BlackHatGPT, FraudGPT, and GhostGPT, among others—primarily accessible through Telegram channels.

Over the past year, cybercriminal activity has shifted toward exploiting vulnerabilities found in company perimeters and infrastructure systems. Attacks are also being carried out within shorter and shorter timeframes. According to data from Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) in 2024, 44% of zero-day attacks affected enterprise-focused technologies, compared to 37% in 2023.

Sometimes preparing dinner can be a complicated task. You’re juggling a stir-fry, boiling pasta, prepping a salad, and all you want is to say “Chop the onions” and have it done. No switching between tasks, no looking up steps. Just state the intent, and it’s executed. We wanted that same level of simplicity when interacting with our environment, including sites, users, topology, and real-time data. That led us to build Cato’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server.