Possible Isn’t A Compelling Argument

Possible Isn’t A Compelling Argument

In a recent LinkedIn post Andrew Ginter made the case that legal liability is an argument for investing in cybersecurity. That those responsible for managing risk, and cybersecurity in particular, should put in place “reasonable” security controls to...
Why Little Secure Coding Interest In OT?

Why Little Secure Coding Interest In OT?

Most years we include a secure coding session on S4’s Stage 2 Technical Deep Dives. This year it was Colin Breck’s: It’s Not As Simple As “Use A Memory Safe Language”. The session drew a small audience, even though it was given a...
Rating Past OT Security Acquisitions

Rating Past OT Security Acquisitions

It’s been over five years now since the OT Asset Inventory and Detection market sorted itself out. The top tier has changed little. The increased acceptance of cloud-based solutions has helped Armis join original top tier vendors Claroty, Dragos, and Nozomi....
False and True: You Can’t Protect What You Don’t Know

False and True: You Can’t Protect What You Don’t Know

False One of the most common OT Security mantras this decade is “You Can’t Protect What You Don’t Know”. Those who say this are almost always saying you can’t protect your OT environment without a detailed and accurate OT cyber asset inventory. This is...
What’s Next For DHS / CISA In OT Security?

What’s Next For DHS / CISA In OT Security?

I’ve had the chance to interview the last three leaders of DHS’s OT security efforts at S4 (only missing out on Seán Paul McGurk). For good or bad, the message has been consistent. Emphasis on information sharing, public / private partnership, new .gov...
Anecdotes Are Not Data

Anecdotes Are Not Data

A large part of OT Security marketing is based around anecdotes. Some anecdotes are real. This small water utility was hacked and a tank overflowed. This manufacturer had ransomware and had to shut down certain factory operations for three days. This rail system was...
“Discovering ICS Vulns Is So Yesterday”

“Discovering ICS Vulns Is So Yesterday”

Love this comment from Bryan Owen on one of my posts. Discovering ICS vulns is so yesterday, discovering implants is the new, new thing. In observation, there needs to be more emphasis and coverage on discovered implants… otherwise sponsors of defensive programs...
Mythology and Metrics

Mythology and Metrics

OT Security needs metrics. I originally wrote more metrics, but we have almost no metrics. We includes asset owners, governments, vendors, industry groups, … We shouldn’t be funding anything that doesn’t include a hypothesis and a metric that will...