October Chapter Meeting

Speaker: Sam Aiello

Speaker's Bio:

Sam Aiello has worked in the IT industry for more than 30 years, and 20 of those years include experience in the field of telecommunication and information security as a practitioner and manager. He has been involved in numerous convergences & security software implementations, development and integration of information security policy, product training, and pre and post-sales consulting for many international and US enterprises. Sam has guest lectured at Georgia State University and presented at ISSA and ISACA events. He holds many industry certifications including CISSP & CISA. He is a Member of InfraGard- Atlanta, ISACA- Atlanta, & ISSA- Atlanta. In addition to an MBA with a concentration in Finance, Sam has a BA in Industrial Education and an MSc in Information Security Leadership.

Speaker's Subject/Title:  OT / IIOT

Speaker's Presentation Abstract:

Engineered systems that link sensing, computing, and control to the real environments are known as cyber-physical systems (CPS). CPSs, especially when used in critical infrastructure systems, require three fundamental attributes: safety, security, and sustainability. With the advancement of operational technology, smart buildings, smart cities, linked automobiles, and autonomous vehicles, incident occurrences are on the increase. They will have a far bigger impact on the physical world, since risks, threats, and vulnerabilities now exist in a bidirectional, cyber-physical environment.

The importance of operational technology (OT) has never been greater. It is also a problem to keep these systems safe from the ever-changing threat landscape. Criminals are targeting vital infrastructure and industrial control systems (ICS), as seen by recent U.S.-based attacks on the Colonial Pipeline, SolarWinds, and Oldsmar City water station to mention a few. The cyber-attacks of Colonial Pipeline disrupted fuel supplies along the east coast and the Oldsmar water station shed light on concerns that many public works industrial control systems could also be at risk. In 2020, the SolarWinds attack affected thousands of organizations, mostly in the United States, infecting supply chains that disrupted both the manufacturing and distribution industries for a period of weeks. Because of these assaults and current vulnerability patterns asset owners are re-evaluating their OT/IIoT systems' attack surfaces and supply chain risks. We’ll take a closer look at infrastructure and impact.