According to Gartner inc, “By 2025, cyber attackers will have weaponized operational technology (OT) environments to successfully harm or kill humans.”

Attacks on OT – hardware and software that monitors or controls equipment, assets and processes – have become more common. They have also evolved from immediate process disruption such as shutting down a plant, to compromising the integrity of industrial environments with intent to create physical harm. Other recent events like the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack have highlighted the need to have properly segmented networks for IT and OT. (Article)

At Cyber Senate, having worked with thousands of asset owners and subject matter experts across manufacturing, transport and energy critical infrastructure over the last ten years, we have seen very little movement in maturing operational technology security or government intervention and awareness beyond financial penalties. Skilled workforce has become a massive problem with aging experts leaving the sector and not being replaced with next generation talent. Better salaries and career moves have an impact and lack of understanding and culture misconceptions of the threats are still rampant among C level executives.

Join us in November on the 15/16th in London Canary Wharf as we convene for our 9th annual conference to address the evolving threats to operational technology and how we can better utilise our collective experience to ensure that OT security is adopted as a business enabler to ensure it gets the investment and attention it deserves.