Network · 4h ago
Forescout analyzed 47,700 real-world network segments and found that mixed zones are common: nearly half of segments containing OT or medical devices also include IT and IoT, and the average segment held 54 devices across four device types.
That matters because a segment that is supposed to separate sensitive systems often does not. If a camera or workstation shares the same boundary as OT or IoMT devices, a compromise of the ordinary device can become a lateral path into systems operators assumed were isolated.
For organizations that treat segmentation as the control protecting crown-jewel systems, the exposure sits in the zone itself, not just the device that gets owned first. The label on the network does not guarantee a separate trust domain if mixed device classes still share it.
2 sources covering this story
Only 13% of OT Network Segments Are Fully Isolated: Analysis
Forescout’s new network segmentation research shows that OT and medical devices often share network segments with other enterprise assets.
Network Segmentation Failures Expand the Corporate Attack Surface
Forescout warns that incomplete network segmentation is widening the potential blast radius of attacks
Part of the PlainSec briefing for 2026-09-22