ICS Security
Standards and Controls for AI in Operational Technology
No single standard covers AI in manufacturing, and if one phishing click can reach OT, the architecture is already broken. Gary Tillery of Skkynet and Matt Morris of EverLine answer audience questions on the specific standards…
Governing AI Agents in Operational Technology Cybersecurity
Boards make OT risk decisions they do not know they are making. AI agents change behavior with every model upgrade and carry no personal accountability. The most likely AI failure in OT involves no adversary, just…
How to Govern AI Agents in OT
A plant running 20 or more vendors now faces each vendor deploying its own AI agent with its own access model and its own integrations to other systems. At the Industrial AI Summit 2026, Scott Christensen,…
Why Firewalls Cannot Isolate OT Networks
In July 2026, a coordinated cyberattack targeted operational technology at more than 30 community water systems in Minnesota, prompting the FBI and EPA to issue a broader warning that water and wastewater utilities in at least…
OT Cybersecurity for Manufacturers: 2026 Guide
Manufacturing has been the most-attacked sector globally for multiple consecutive years, based on tracking by IBM X-Force. Ransomware demands against manufacturers averaged $1.16 million in 2025, more than double the previous year (Industrial Cyber). Per Dragos…
Defensible OT Architecture for AI-Connected Manufacturing
Manufacturers are adding more digital connections to production environments. AI programs, remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, asset analytics, and cloud platforms all depend on some level of connectivity between OT, IT, and external systems. That creates a…
How Procurement Budgets Fix OT Supply Chain Security
Most OT security spending goes to defending networks after equipment is installed. The presentations at S4x26 in Miami made a different case: the highest-impact moment to address supply chain risk is before the purchase order is…
AI Ransomware Hits Manufacturing Hardest
Manufacturing is the most targeted sector for ransomware, with attacks rising 56% year over year, according to OPSWAT. Verizon's 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report recorded 1,607 confirmed breaches in manufacturing, an 89% increase. Up to 80%…
Vendor Laptops, USB Drives, and the Plant Floor Security Gap
Manufacturers are paying more attention to AI, cloud connectivity, and advanced cyber threats, but one of the most common OT security gaps is still very practical: what gets carried into the plant. Vendor laptops, USB drives,…
How to Fund Industrial Cybersecurity Programs
OT security teams present lists of critical vulnerabilities. Executives ask for Return on Investment. The conversation stalls because cybersecurity spending does not generate revenue; it prevents loss. At S4x26 in Miami, Hector R. Perez of Black…
How Maintenance Debt Becomes a Cyber Risk
Industrial facilities run on workarounds. Bypassed interlocks, offline sensors, and temporary fixes that have been in place for years are common realities of aging equipment and limited maintenance staff. OT cybersecurity assessments track patch backlogs, CVE…
Industrial Cybersecurity Threats for 2026
OT cybersecurity threats in 2026 are crossing boundaries that previous threat models did not account for. At S4x26, presentations from Secvulre, Accenture, Copia Automation, ABS, and Emerson identified four threats reshaping how asset owners assess risk:…