Securing Digitalization

Today, all supply chains have a digital and that means, a cybersecurity component. Software solutions especially are made up of a variety of proprietary and open-source components and have to be secured against cyberattacks. That’s why it’s not just important that all companies involved stay vigilant and implement approbate security measures: they also all need to cooperate closely with each other, as any chain, as we know, is only as strong as its weakest link – as Natalia Oropeza, Mirko Ross and our episode’ guest and Supply Chain expert Rafi Yahalom from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) know.

Who’d wish for a hacker having a train’s controls at their fingertips? Nobody – except for that hacker and other like-minded bad actors. What makes such a nightmare scenario possible is, of course, digitalization. As it transforms our lives, it is also a key part of today´s railways, and it makes it safer, more efficient, and convenient for both passengers and train operators. At the same time, digital systems expose railways to cybersecurity risks, so we need to take care that they are minimized as much as possible. Not an easy task: They are as versatile and dynamic as the whole digital world we live in. But luckily, that hacker up to no good has a counterpart, a team of cybersecurity experts that are attuned to this challenge – and meet it every day.

Intellectual Property (IP) is among a company’s most valuable assets. And since it’s so valuable, many people are unsurprisingly after it – be it by stealing valuable data and/or infringing upon patent rights. So industry has a good reason to be concerned about and be obsessed with protecting IP – in court as well as with a solid cyber defense.

Cybersecurity teams cannot be cut from one cloth alone. They need to bring different experiences, talents, perspectives, mindsets and resumes to the table, because only from a diversity of ideas and proposals can they create solutions that can cope with the threat landscape we face. But what does that mean in detail? Siemens CCSO Natalia Oropeza, Mirko Ross and Tyler Cohen Wood, internationally recognized Cybersecurity Expert from the US, have the answer.

We currently have a patchwork of regulations and standards. And this variety doesn’t help. In order to promote cybersecurity regionally and globally, it´s paramount to establish compatible international cybersecurity regulation and common standards. Without such a guiding framework, cybersecurity cannot be effective – and that, in turn, increases cyber risks. But not to worry – help is on the way. Siemens CCSO Natalia Oropeza and Cybersecurity expert Mirko Ross show how – together with Evangelos Ouzounis, head of Policy Development and Implementation Unit at the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA).

Cybercriminals want your money – and their favorite weapon of choice are ransomware attacks. It’s a multi-billion-dollar business, going after industry, municipalities, service providers – and among the latter hospitals and healthcare providers, which have been targeted even during the pandemic. As repulsive as these actions are, there is no need for you to become a victim, too. In this podcast, Natalia Oropeza, Siemens’ Chief Cybersecurity Officer, and cybersecurity expert Mirko Ross, talk about the most common patterns of these attacks – e.g., they mostly take place on the weekend or during the holidays. And with the help of guest expert Steffen Stang, responsible for products at Siemens Digital Industries, they give sound advice on how to protect yourself and your company.

It sounds like a dystopian sci-fi flick: An army of bots attacks you and leaves you utterly paralyzed, or, possibly just as worse, uses you to attack someone else. That’s what botnet attacks do: They hijack millions of IoT-devices such as routers, computers, smartphones and launch malicious attacks – on whatever their dark master tells them to do. In this podcast, Natalia Oropeza, Siemens’ Chief Cybersecurity Officer, and cybersecurity expert Mirko Ross, talk about these nasty armies. And with the help of guest expert William Dixon, responsible for Cybersecurity at the World Economic Forum, they lay out various ways of how to combat this threat.

You’ve got mail! Someone sends you a message and poses as a friend or colleague and otherwise appears to know quite a bit about you – and encourages you to engage in a conversation, click on a link or open a document. Well: Don´t! Most cyberattacks start with email and social engineering attacks are the most insidious among these mail attacks. To tell you about how to defend your company against this threat and what to do if someone breached your network, here are Natalia Oropeza, Siemens’ Chief Cybersecurity Officer, and cybersecurity expert Mirko Ross, talking about various aspects of social engineering attacks. Hans Wallinger, Chief Technologist for Cyber Defense at Siemens, also chimes in give insights into Siemens’ approach towards cybersecurity.

You sure don´t want this to happen, yet, it can – at least in theory: cybercriminals getting access to your factory and shutting it down. So to avoid a catastrophe, it may help to brush up one’s cybersecurity credentials. Here are Natalia Oropeza, Siemens’ Chief Cybersecurity Officer, and cybersecurity expert Mirko Ross discussing various measures such as ‘Defense in depth’ or the role of AI for industrial cybersecurity. And as knowledgeable as these two are, they may not know everything. That’s why it’s fortunate that Klaus Lukas from Siemens’ ProductCert (Product Computer Emergency Response Team), is at hand to talk about the role the global community of cybersecurity researchers has for industry.

No, no, despite our clear views on the matter, it’s still not over. The pandemic is alive and well, and we all have to deal it. In this – our premier – episode of the Siemens Cybersecurity Podcast, Siemens’ Chief Cybersecurity Officer Natalia Oropeza and Cybersecurity expert Mirko Ross discuss what work is like during Corona, how Siemens has handled an increased number of attacks during Covid-19, the challenges of complexity, and other Cybersecurity lessons learned during this time. Last but not least, as a special guest we have Christian Dameff, Medical Director of Cybersecurity at the University of California San Diego, who informs us on the intersection of Cybersecurity and patient safety.