Ep. 336 Securing Federal Critical Infrastructure with AI

IT modernization carries unanticipated risks. Take operational technology, or OT, as an example. As modernization has increased the number of OT and IoT assets across many federal locations, it has also introduced new vulnerabilities. Federal leaders are warning that the situation has reached a tipping point. CISA maintains a growing list of vulnerabilities, and the NSA has issued warnings about OT and IoT risks. A recent SANS report indicated a 20% increase in confirmed OT attacks. To explore these challenges, we sit down with Chris Grove, Director of Cybersecurity Strategy at Nozomi Networks, to discuss the cyber-physical security challenges facing the federal government, particularly the modernization of older OT systems. He highlighted the difficulties in maintaining asset inventories, the impact of AI in both attacks and defenses, and the complexities of implementing zero trust in OT environments. During the interview, Grove addresses topics such as remote access, older technology not designed for updates, and OT devices that move around on ships and planes. Thirty years ago, “unified communication” was introduced by technology like VoIP. With the proliferation of OT devices, Grove recommends a unified security architecture. Grove emphasized the importance of resilience and the need for AI-enhanced tools to manage alerts and anomalies effectively. He also noted growing concerns about drone security and the significant workload expected to result from AI-discovered vulnerabilities.