Critical infrastructure CISOs Can't Ignore 'Back-Office Clutter' Data

Critical infrastructure CISOs can no longer overlook the data sprawl generated by collaboration platforms such as SharePoint, Google Drive, Exchange, Gmail, Teams, Slack and Box, which the article argues is now the enterprise’s largest unmonitored surface. OT and ICS systems remain the crown jewels for attackers, but the back-office clutter—ranging from CAD drawings and substation layouts to HR and financial documents—creates a broad, low-visibility playground for adversaries.

The piece highlights that this sprawling data environment is easy to access and share, with workflows that can push petabytes of information across thousands of sites and folders, often with little governance. It notes that campaigns like Volt Typhoon have shown a preference for living off the land, exploiting the same collaboration tools employees rely on, and it warns that AI could accelerate reconnaissance and cross-platform actions, turning these libraries into a high-speed attack surface.

Published on 13 October 2025, the article emphasises that CISOs should assume their adversaries are already looking, making zero-trust and robust data governance essential.