Who are you?

This episode dives into one of the most challenging cybersecurity topics currently on the docket – identity management. 

My conversation with Brandon Traffanstedt, Sr. Director and Global Technology Officer at CyberArk, took us in two equally important directions. The first deals with individuals and how to properly manage those accessing your systems and networks. The second, equally as challenging, but potentially more complex, focused on machine or asset identities and understanding how to keep this sprawling attack landscape more secure. 

Perhaps most interestingly, Brandon also offers some insight on cookies-based attacks and how, like so many cybersecurity challenges, the answers doesn’t lie in the tech stack.

Watch/listen as we also discuss:

• Solving identify management strategies by finding baseline controls.
• The unique dynamics of manufacturing when it comes to risk analysis and establishing these baselines.
• The role of asset visibility when it comes to identity management strategies.
• How to prevent those age-old turf battles between IT and OT.
• Why machine identities might pose the greatest cybersecurity risk.
• The importance of empathy in getting people to buy in to cybersecurity strategies and training.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
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Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

I’m always tempted to start out each episode by talking about a problem, and then setting up our guest as the solution to that problem. It’s formulaic and a bit redundant, but it’s also effective. So I’ll apologize in advance because I’m about to do that very thing again. 

The difference is that Howard Grimes, the CEO of the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII) is looking to help provide a lot of solutions for manufacturers. As we discuss workforce challenges, secure-by-design, an evolving threat landscape and the ongoing struggles with legacy OT infrastructure, I’ll challenge you to find something that the Institute couldn’t help you and your organization jumpstart, solve or streamline.

Watch/listen as we discuss:

• The most significant vulnerabilities still impacting manufacturing.
• Why the industrial sector struggles to find OT cybersecurity specialists, and strategies that are helping to fill this gap.
• The growing prominence of secure-by-design and how the responsibilities for these strategies are shifting.
• The areas where legacy OT technology are hampering cybersecurity efforts the most.
• Why the "Ostrich Approach" can no longer be tolerated.
• The new focal points of attackers and how these are shifting based on hacker resources.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

Insider threats are creating new attack vectors, but old-school solutions could rise to the challenge.

Regardless of the situation or dynamic, everyone likes to think that they’re special. However, with experience we learn that appreciating both the shared similarities, as well as some of those unique traits, are how we can best solve problems. 

A great example is a recent conversation I had with Umaimah Khan, founder and CEO of Opal Security – she goes by UK for short. Her firm focuses on the identify management sector of cybersecurity. 

What UK constantly reinforced is that the industrial sector is not alone in trying to figure out the best ways to manage and secure human, equipment and asset identification. So, while some of the application challenges are unique, there’s a lot of strategies to draw from in determining what might be best for your enterprise.

Listen as we discuss:

• The challenges of identify management at both the human and machine levels.
• The need for fluid change management when it comes to determining who can access what, and at what level.
• Why the success of any cybersecurity initiative will be about what the human can or can't do, not the machine.
• How many security vulnerabilities are created by a "perfect storm of poor communication."
• Breaking down silos, which have created "security by obscurity."
• The new attack vectors poor identity management is creating.
• The evolving role of agentic AI in industrial cybersecurity. 

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

In many instances the biggest challenge facing OT cybersecurity practitioners is knowing where to focus resources, especially their time. In other words, what are the priorities for the enterprise, facility and people?

I recently sat down with Securin's Lead Threat Intelligence Analyst - Aviral Verma. And while I anticipated a conversation focused on vulnerabilities and the threat landscape, discussing these topics led to deeper dives on a range of topics that also included breaking down IT/OT silos, artificial intelligence, the dark web and patching strategies. 

Listen as we discuss:

• The transformation of threat actors and how they've been able to cut timelines for exploiting vulnerabilities to 15 days.
• How hackers are using Dark Web versions of ChatGPT to design more effective credential and data harvesting schemes.
• Why the security of every software platform, especially those embedded within industrial assets, cannot be assumed.
• How the legacy dynamic of many OT assets has led hackers to exploit vulnerabilities that have been around for as long as five years.
• Addressing patching challenges by breaking down silos and getting a deeper understanding of the unique elements of each OT environment.
• How threat detection needs to evolve, especially with state-sponsored hackers executing "quieter" strategies for attacking manufacturing and critical infrastructure. 

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

One of the great things about covering industrial cybersecurity is the number of reports, studies and white papers being produced right now to help provide intelligence on threats, research on new tools, and data on leading trends.

The tough part is sorting through all this data and, at some point, prioritizing it in order to get the most and best information.

One source that I look forward to each year is IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index. It’s full of all that stuff I just mentioned, but will special attention paid to the industrial sector. 

Unfortunately, some of that attention results from manufacturing being the most highly attacked industry for the fourth consecutive year. Also, according to the Index, it had the most ransomware incidents in 2024.

But, as Chris Caridi, a Cyber Threat Analyst for the X-Force and our guest for today’s episode shared with me, the news is not all bad. Watch/listen as we discuss:

• The rise in infostealer malware, credential harvesting and phishing attacks.
• The importance of understanding how to secure new technology before investing and implementing it.
• Why most cybersecurity issues are a human problem, not a technical problem.
• Why multi-factor authentication is now a must for OT connections.
• The misconfiguration errors that continue to plague manufacturing, and how they create a series of other cybersecurity problems.
• How manufacturing's cybersecurity journey is similar to the financial sector 10 years ago, and why this should be source of optimism.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

Endpoint security tools worked, but the hackers worked harder for their payday.

While everyone likes to know how someone else might have screwed up and what the fallout looks like, the more import elements of episodes like this one come from the in-depth conversations about new tactics and strategies that are being used by the bad guys, and simultaneously, the insight on new best practices for the good guys.

So while I did enjoy diving into how the ransomware group Akira was able to use webcam access to infiltrate an organization, it was also great to discuss the evolution of these hacking groups, EDR tools, dark web monitoring and the need for better credential security with Steve Ross. He’s the director of cybersecurity at S-RM, a leading provider or cyber intelligence and solutions.

Watch/listen as we also discuss:

• Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools.
• The rise of Akira, and the evolving symbiotic strategies used by this and other RaaS groups.
• Patching challenges.
• The growing need for dark web monitoring.
• The continued rise in login/credential harvesting.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

We talk a lot about the growing complexity of hacking groups and how their tools and tactics continue to evolve. One such evolution is the ongoing specialization that runs rampant throughout the black hat community – especially when it comes to ransomware. 

The rise of initial access brokers, affiliate programs, spoofing domain creators, dark web communities, and more are fueling ransomware-as-a-service groups and posing new cybersecurity challenges. 

And while numerous reports detail the rise in ransomware attacks and the escalating amounts being paid in seeking a reprieve from denial of service, data extortion, and supply chain hacks, one recent finding really stood out. In their annual State of Ransomware Report, Blackfog stated that manufacturing had the highest number of undisclosed ransomware attacks, when compared to all other industries. 

So, as tough as we know the ransomware challenge is – it’s actually a bit worse than we acknowledge because of the growing number of attacks that go unreported. Fortunately, we have an army of highly skilled individuals working to combat these threats. And that includes our guest for today’s episode - Fortra's senior manager of domain and dark web monitoring solutions, Nick Oram. Watch/listen as we discuss:

• The surge of new ransomware tactics and groups, like RansomHub.
• The origins and continued growth of Initial Access Brokers (IABs) within the ransomware community.
• How affiliate programs are helping both RaaS and IAB groups increase their rate of successful attacks.
• Why dark web monitoring might be more important than ever for manufacturers.
• The ongoing "we adapt", "they adapt" dynamic.
• How to better educate the workforce and shift from a "blame and shame" response to phishing and other types of attacks that leverage human error.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

Breaking down silos while securing the cloud and leveraging secure-by-design advancements.

The challenges facing the industrial OT landscape that emanate from external sources are … varied, complex and constantly evolving. Smarter hacking groups, AI-driven phishing schemes and deceptive malware viruses head the list of concerns.

And while these factors show no signs of fading, the reality is that there are just as many challenges facing industrial cybersecurity that are embedded within the very foundation of our operations. These legacy dynamics have created internal battles that absorb valuable resources, waste precious talent and help the bad guys stay a step ahead. 

With this in mind, we’re going to tap into two key industry leaders to get their take on pressing, internal liabilities that are ensuring key production assets remain exposed. We'll hear from Silverfort’s Rob Larsen, as he discusses the ongoing struggles created by IT/OT silos, as well secure-by-design initiatives. 

Mandiant’s Paul Shaver will also offer his take on these silos, and how decisions related to cloud networking are impacting the security stature of key data, assets and network connections.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

One of the goals of the show is to help you better understand all the threats facing your OT assets, your data and your people. In order to do that, we work to identify those individuals with a feel and in-depth understanding of these threats and the evolving network of threat actors.

And I can’t think of anyone better to break down the hacker landscape than an individual whose research has led to being followed by well-known data breachers on social media and considered persona-non-grata in countries housing many of the most notorious state-sponsored hacking groups in the world. 

It’s my pleasure to welcome Jeremiah Fowler back to Security Breach. You might remember that we originally spoke to him regarding a huge ERP data vulnerability last summer.  

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

When we talk about the threat landscape for the industrial sector, the eye-catching, headline-grabbing hacking groups with nefarious names typically lead the list of concerns. And while understanding their well-publicized exploits are important, what is often overlooked are all the little things these groups were able to do before dropping malware, shutting down networks, extorting ransoms, and stealing data.

This is where taking the time to address those insecure connection points, update login credentials or patch zero and one-day vulnerabilities continue to be essential in the fight to safeguard operational technology and the industrial control system. But, the reasons these problems remain is that the solution is never as simple as it sounds. So, hopefully our collection of experts for this episode can help show you the way.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

While we’re still in the infancy of 2025, the New Year has proven to have no issues in welcoming in a number of pre-existing challenges – whether we’re talking about cybersecurity or … other social topics.

So, in continuing this trend, we tapped into a unique collection of voices to discuss a topic that has, and will continue to be, vital to industrial cybersecurity efforts – Artificial Intelligence. 

First, we’ll hear from Mandiant’s Paul Shaver as he discusses the legacy dynamics of industrial cybersecurity, including ongoing obstacles associated with inventory, visibility and segmentation strategies – and the impact AI could have on all of them. 

Then we’ll transition to HackerOne’s Will Kapcio for his take on AI and the ongoing evolution of cybersecurity tools. 

We’ll wrap up with instructor and the author of the Hack is Back as he discusses what drove his desire to write the book, the impact AI is having on the next generation of cybersecurity specialists, and the evolving vulnerabilities they can expect to face.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

The continued evolution of the CyberAv3ngers hacking group and its IIoT-focused malware.

We talk a lot about change on Security Breach. Some of it’s good and obviously some of it makes us want to tear our hair out. Well, this episode, surprisingly, should go easy on the scalp, even though it will focus on the IOCONTROL malware strand recently detected by Noam Moshe and Claroty’s Team82. 

The malware is described as a custom-built IoT/OT strand created by the Iran-based hacktivist group, the CyberAv3ngers. The malware targeted OT/IoT devices in Israel and the U.S. Moshe’s team detected the malware being used to attack IoT and SCADA/OT devices of various types including IP cameras, routers, PLCs, HMIs and firewalls. 

Typically, this is the part of the story that takes us down a dark and frustrating road, but as you’ll hear, that’s not necessarily the case this time.

For more information on Team82’s findings on IOCONTROL, click here.

Also, just a bit of housekeeping – we’re switching the frequency of Security Breach from weekly to bi-weekly. This change will allow me to spend more time on each episode, which will translate to greater depth and expanded coverage on all the pressing topics of industrial cybersecurity. 

And remember, this is your podcast – let me know your thoughts and feelings on the change and anything else you’d like to see on the show.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

Winston Churchill famously stated that, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” 

His concerns about applying lessons learned to post WWII foreign policy initiatives rings just as true in the current cybersecurity climate. So, in an effort to ensure we repeat as few of 2024’s mistakes in 2025, we’re going to take a look at some of the industrial sector’s biggest exploits, and offer solutions and strategies in our ever-raging combat with the Black Hats. Watch/listen as we cover:

• A unique supply chain hack that came up during our conversation with Theo Zafirakos, a Cyber Risk and Information Security Expert at Fortra.
• The fall of 2024 brought security compromises to the front door of a number of prominent industrial enterprises, including Halliburton.
• In early August millions were impacted when National Public Data, a major data broker that performs background checks, reported that 2.9 billion personal records from over a million individuals in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada were accessed.
• Ford Motor Company was also a target, with a data breach that saw hacking groups steal 44,000 records containing personal and product information.
• Anna Wells, executive editor of Manufacturing.net and Manufacturing Business Technology, brought us coverage of a hack that has crippled a global beverage maker.
• We close out with a story from

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

As we begin to close out 2024 and look ahead to 2025, I couldn’t resist the urge to revisit some of my favorite guests from the last couple of months.

While I’m grateful for everyone we’ve had on the show, and all the support we continue to receive from the industrial cybersecurity community, I felt these comments were worth another listen, with special focus being given to a handful of the most critical issues confronting our OT environments. 

First, we hear from Jon Taylor (1:16) at Versa, as he discusses a unique approach to patching and secure-by-design strategies that involve the development embedded micro-segmentation approaches. 

Next, we’ll hear from Cloud Range’s Tom Marsland (11:18)  as he discusses the continued challenges presented by data silos, and innovative ways to address the shortage of cybersecurity specialists. 

Then we’ll turn to Baker Tilly’s Jeff Krull (19:42) as he reports on ransomware gangs and their combination of new and old tactics. 

And we’ll finish up with cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler (29:40) as he discusses some of the ongoing challenges about addressing persistent vulnerabilities.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

According to Fortinet’s 2024 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report, 43 percent of those surveyed reported a loss of business critical data or intellectual property so far in 2024– a number this is up nearly 10 percent from last year. 

And we all know what happens with this hijacked data. 

Per the World Economic Forum’s May 2024 white paper, the number of ransomware attacks on industrial infrastructure doubled in 2023, boosting ransomware to the leading concern for manufacturers, with 40 percent citing it as their top issue. While that may not surprise you, this might - due to the many challenges we’ve discussed here on Security Breach, the industrial sector now accounts for 71 percent of all ransomware attacks. 

Our data is valuable and the hackers know it.

To offer some perspective on protecting this data, we sat down with Karthik Krishnan, CEO of Concentric.ai – a leading provider of data security posture management solutions. Watch/listen as he provides insight on:

• Prioritizing and limiting data access to lessen the blast radius.
• How data, especially customer data, is essentially the "new oil."
• Reversing your mindset to think about "data out" instead of "user in".
• The generative AI advancements that continue to be made, and how they're producing more complex phishing and ransomware attacks.  
• Why it has become easier for hackers to get a foothold on your network.
• The best ways to shore up your weakest security link - employees.
• How it all starts with data discovery and visualization, then prioritization.
• A look at the money involved with remediation and response costs versus proper planning and defense prep.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

Next to artificial intelligence, one of the biggest buzz terms in industrial cybersecurity right now might be SBOM, or software bill of materials. The term generates equal parts concern and eye roll as those entrusted with enterprise defense look to ensure that there are no embedded vulnerabilities amongst the data platforms they are both sourcing and utilizing within their offerings. 

Perhaps most frustrating is having to essentially reverse engineer a number of established products in order to quell security concerns. However, as frustrating as these efforts might be, the growing number of zero day hacks emanating from embedded security vulnerabilities will only continue to grow as we look to embed greater levels of sensor, software and AI-driven functionality. 

In this episode we hear from Marcellus Buchheit, President and CEO of Wibu-Systems USA, a leading provider of security solutions for embedded data and intellectual property. Watch/listen as we discuss:

• How vulnerabilities and risks need to be assessed beyond their expense to focus on updates, reconfigurations and the growing number of OT connection points.
• The need for SOPs that make it easier to assimilate cybersecurity into OT processes.
• Ways to more safely update the growing number of devices on the plant floor.
• Protecting IP and, more specifically, the software coding associated with it.
• The impact AI continues to have on increasing the sophistication of hacking attempts.
• Why all hacks are "highly preventable."
• The role of quantum computing and the steps to take in preparing for "Q Day".

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

We assembled some "nerds from the basement" to cover a key strategy in combatting evolving threats.

Today’s episode is going to take on a little different flavor, as we’re going to show you one particular tool that can impact a number of your security planning, training and discovery strategies.

While table top exercises are nothing new, we’re going to demonstrate how they’re evolving and can be customized according to your needs. We’re going to tackle the human element of cybersecurity by discussing communications strategies, and we’ll offer some insight on getting greater buy-in from throughout the organization, including the C-suite and those controlling the purse strings.

Joining me to discuss these topics and run through a mock exercise will be:

• Navroop Mitter, the CEO and founder of ArmorText. His firm is a leader in secure out-of-band communications.
• Matthew Welling, a partner at Crowell & Moring's Washington, D.C. office, where he works in the firm's Privacy & Cybersecurity Group.
• Timothy Chase, the director of the Manufacturing ISAC, a non-profit organization and leading provider of threat intelligence sharing solutions.

In addition to the table top exercise, we'll discuss:

• Communication challenges before, during and after an attack.
• Response strategies and the evolving dynamic of out-of-band communications.
• The ongoing challenges of addressing the Human Element of cybersecurity.
• The impact of regulatory efforts and how they're playing a bigger role in attack response plans.
• The types o

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Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

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Can't keep up with AI? We've got you. Everyday AI helps you keep up and get ahead.

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To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

For this episode, instead of tapping into one source for feedback and updates on industrial cybersecurity, we’re going to look at some of the key insights previous guests have offered on the evolving threat landscape – from increased risks emanating from technological integrations and an uptick in automation, to the more traditional adversaries responsible for next-generation malware, ransomware and phishing schemes. 

To kick things off, we'll hear from:

• Tom Marsland, VP of Technology for Cloud Range as he discusses threats to our infrastructure and state-sponsored groups from China.
• (3:31) He’ll be followed by Cyberhoot’s Craig Taylor as he updates us on phishing schemes.
• (5:45) And then we’ll hear from Jon Taylor at Versa Networks as he talks about strategies bad actors are taking in targeting legacy industrial control systems. 

While many of those topics are already at the top of our list of concerns, there are also a number of evolving threats that warrant an uptick in resources – from both a financial and skillset development perspective. We'll dive into comments from:

• (9:26) Corsha’s Anusha Iyer as she discusses supply chain and dwelling attacks.
• (15:33) Venafi’s Kevin Bocek and his take on embedded software vulnerabilities and how hackers are taking advantage of them.
• (22:18)

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Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

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To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

While there are plenty of unknowns when it comes to protecting the OT attack surface, there are some things that are undeniably true.

We know that the frequency of attacks will continue to increase.

We know that it’s not if your ICS will be probed, but when.

And we also know that asset and connection visibility is an ongoing challenge due to the implementation of more automated technology.

Finally, we also know that one of the most important aspects of any cybersecurity plan is the portion that lays out the response. 

One of the most effective ways to address these concerns can be the use of attack simulations. In this episode we tap in to the expertise of Tom Marsland, VP of Technology for Cloud Range, a leading provider of live-fire cybersecurity exercises and training. Watch/listen as we discuss:

• All the little things that are continuing to pose challenges to industrial cybersecurity.
• Why state-sponsored hacker groups in China are getting more of his attention lately.
• Why successful incident response is about the people, not the tools.
• The importance of "training like you fight."
• His role with VetSec, and the role it can play in filling cybersecurity talent gaps. 
• How to bring IT and OT together and why the onus on strengthening these bonds might fall more on IT.
• Why the culture of security needs to permeate throughout the entire organization.
• How AI can help make the most of your people.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
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Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

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Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

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To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

Maybe you’re sick of hearing about phishing schemes and the way hackers are using this strategy to infiltrate your networks, access intellectual data, shut down production, or hold your assets for ransom. If that’s the case, then you’ve made a lot of hackers very happy.

And based on Proofpoint’s 2024 State of Phish report, protecting against phishing schemes is simply not being reinforced or given the proper priority. For example,

• 71% of surveyed users admitted to taking a risky action, and 96% knew they were doing something risky when interacting with email or text messages.
• 85% of security professionals said that most employees know they are responsible for security, but 59% of employees weren’t sure or claimed that they’re not responsible.
• Furthermore, 24% admitted to responding to emails or text messages from someone they don’t know, and 19% clicked on links in emails from people they don’t know.
• Finally, 73% of surveyed companies reported a business email compromise, but only 29% are actively teaching users about BEC attacks. 

To address these and other phishing attack dynamics, I sat down with Craig Taylor, co-founder of Cyberhoot, a leading provider of phishing prevention solutions. Watch/listen as we discuss:

• How hackers are going after session tokens to steal valuable credential data.
• Why phishing prevention training spends too much time on avoiding the click instead of positive reinforcement of proper actions.
• The need for worker training to go beyond any impact to the company, to the individual cyber risks as well.
• How adding "friction" to email could be a solution.
• The bad password advice that many high-level organizations continue to distribute.

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To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

So, my daughters like to give me a hard time about growing old. 

Said another way, I’m a legacy asset - just like most of the devices many of you observe, manage and secure every day. Your machines are still in place because they work. While the technology around these assets has evolved, their core functionality and value to the production process has remained constant. 

But as sensors, network connections and access parameters have been upgraded to improve output, these highly prized pieces of equipment are showing their age from a cybersecurity perspective. The challenges they present are reinforced with findings from Fortinet’s 2024 State of Operational Technology and Cybersecurity Report. 

A couple of key takeaways include findings that show nearly one-third of respondents experiencing six or more intrusions in the last year. Additionally, fewer respondents claimed 100 percent OT system visibility – with that number decreasing from 10 to five percent. On the bright side, we’re getting better in some areas, with 20 percent of organizations establishing visibility and implementing segmentation, up from only 13 percent the previous year.

Joining us to discuss these and other trends is Jon Taylor, Director and Principal of Security with Versa Networks, a leading provider of digital transformation and edge security solutions. Watch/listen as he discusses:

• Why the Purdue model might re outdated and preventing many from using new strategies like SASE.
• Why he believes visibility is security - "you have to see it  do defend it," and how AI could be the solution.
• The need for OT to look at vulnerabilities from a network or architecture perspective, not by device or connection point.
• How air gapping help feed the division between IT and OT.
• The weaponizing of OT networks stems from the lack of an adaptive network strategy fed by archaic infrastructure.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
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Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

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Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

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To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

While the justifications for additional cybersecurity spending is easy to explain, getting buy-in at the C-level can be difficult. However, some recent research might help you win over those controlling the purse strings.

SonicWall’s Mid-Year Cyber Threat Report found that their firewalls were under attack 125 percent of the time during a 40-hour work week. And if that doesn’t get the attention of the powers that be, it might also be worth mentioning that during these attacks SonicWall also found that, at a minimum, 12.6 percent of all revenues were exposed to cyber threats that were not covered by security tools or procedures. 

Extrahop’s Global Cyber Confidence Index also reported that 31 percent of cyber and IT leaders want more budget, or more accurately, a 50 percent increase in order to effectively manage and mitigate cyber risk. That number might seem a bit inflated, but it does help illustrate how we’re seemingly fighting the cyber battle on multiple fronts.

To help sort through some of these challenges and direct our resources as effectively as possible, I recently sat down with Anusha Iyer, the Founder and CEO of Corsha, a leading provider of OT asset management and access security solutions.

Watch/listen as we discuss:        

• How to retrofit new practices for legacy assets in order to optimize uptime.
• The false confidence generated by many air gap strategies.
• The importance of machine identity strategies in order to understand the best ways to secure assets and their growing number of connections.
• Increases in ICS-focused malware and live-off-the-land attacks.
• The importance of focusing on the "whys" when conducting employee cybersecurity training.
• Reinforcing the "realities of the day" in improving the entire cybersecurity community.
• Using AI to assess more connection behaviors.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
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Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

One of the most common topics we explore here on Security Breach is the ongoing challenge of asset visibility in the OT landscape. It's frustrating because it would seem that the solution starts with basic inventory management approaches, i.e. the first step in developing frameworks and plans for everything from tool selection to attack response.

Of course, this is never simple due to the increasing amount of IIoT technology and the connection demands they place on industrial systems. It’s a situation that promises to only get more complex, with Fortinet reporting that in 2023, only five percent of surveyed organizations have 100 percent visibility into their own OT activities – a number that is down from 13 percent in 2022. 

To provide some insight on managing this growing number of machines, connections, access points and other vulnerable areas of the ICS, we connected with Kevin Bocek, the Chief Innovation Officer at Venafi, a leading provider of asset identity management. Watch/listen as he discusses:

• Why cyber incidents are a learning opportunity for everyone.
• The benefits of showing the C-suite all those plant floor connections when working to get proper cybersecurity funding.
• The rise in attacks that will be emanating from legacy software and coding.
• Why software assets should be managed and secured in the same manner as machines or devices.
• How manufacturing can bring Continuous Improvement strategies to OT security.
• Stuxnet's long-term impact.
• How quantum computing will dramatically alter authentication approaches and secure-by-design practices within the next five years.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
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Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

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To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

According to Veeam’s 2024 Ransomware Trends Report, cyber victims stated that they were unable to restore 43 percent of whatever data was affected by ransomware attacks. This reaffirms what a number of Security Breach guests have stated about trusting hackers after paying their extortion demands. 

Another finding shows that 63 percent of ransomware attack victims restored the compromised systems directly back into their production environment, without some type of quarantine or scanning method. The risk here, obviously, is simply bringing the ransomware right back to where you removed it. This is a big contributor to the ongoing frustrations associated with dwelling, or living-off-the-land attacks. 

As much as we’d like it to, ransomware simply won’t go away. Some of this stems from a hacking community that continues to draw from a growing treasure chest of financial and technical resources. The other is that we continue to fall short in executing some of the basic blocking and tackling of cybersecurity, like protecting logins, improving visibility of our OT environment, and securing key devices.

In this episode, John Terrill, vice president of Phosphorus, a leading provider of security management services and solutions, offers his take on ransomware, as well as:

• How hackers are using replicable tool kits in moving from system to system or victim to victim in the industrial sector.
• Moving past the mindset that vulnerabilities are only a problem if that can't be exploited - hackers will them.
• How those in cyber defense need to unlock their "creative maliciousness", or take a similar approach to hackers in not being afraid to move around the system and potentially break stuff in order to identify soft spots in defenses.
• Why he prefers homegrown OT security expertise.
• The increasing benefits emanating from political discourse on cybersecurity.
• Remembering that non-OT systems, like HVAC or elevators, can be inroads to the ICS, and need to be defende

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
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Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Inspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology Podcast
Interviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

The ongoing theme in industrial cybersecurity centers on two competing dynamics – the desire to expand our implementation of automation and Industry 4.0 technologies with the goal of using more and faster connections, along with the decision-making data each generates to improve the efficiency and quality of production.

However, these goals now need to be counter-balanced against the heightened risks that all these connections spawn, and the doors they can open for hackers looking to shut down, extort or steal data from manufacturers. 

In this episode, Joe Saunders, the CEO and Founder of RunSafe Security, offers his take on securing these connections and data, as well:

• The on-going challenges associated with memory-based vulnerabilities.
• Tactics for supporting legacy OT code and minimizing the potential disruptions that can accompany software upgrades.
• Addressing vulnerabilities at a "class" level, instead of the one-at-a-time "whack-a-mole" approach.
• Embracing CISA's secure-by-demand edicts.
• The balancing act of more connections without lowering the security posture.
• Warnings about China and other state-sponsored threat actors.

As a go-to podcast for our listeners, we want to help you align your brand with our expertise. By sponsoring our podcast, your brand will build trust, and your message will stand out to an audience searching for tools to assist their cybersecurity efforts.
Click Here to Become a Sponsor.

Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson
Discover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.