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A great deal of cybersecurity attention, and rightfully so, is paid to the role of defending against and responding to outside attackers. However, just as important to establishing and reinforcing cyber plans is ensuring that internal vulnerabilities are not created or made easier to detect through systems, networks and new technologies that are introduced to the industrial infrastructure, albeit with the best of intentions.

However, the influx of handheld devices and mobile computing power can lead to the unintentional injection of numerous cybersecurity issues. One only needs to look at the history of the Stuxnet virus for proof of how something as simple as a USB stick can lead to massive and often irreparable damage. 

To help lend some insight on such potential security issues is Todd Greenwald. He serves as the president of Heartland – a McHenry, Illinois-based company that works with the industrial sector to improve business operations through technology integration, process implementation and network redesign. Heartland’s specialties include wireless infrastructure, network security, mobile computing, automated data collection systems, and more. 

For more information on the work Heartland does, you can go to www.heartland-usa.com. 

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 [email protected].

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What else can we say as it relates to the industrial sector and the cybersecurity threats that continue to present themselves, other than – the battle wages on.

The value of the sector’s IP, the plethora of personal information and the vital need to maintain uptime makes manufacturing a favorite target of hackers. And as those in the financial and healthcare markets know all too well, recognition of the threat only seems to spur the creation of new and better weapons focused on wreaking havoc. 

So, joining us today to discuss some of the latest threats to hit the industrial sector is Lauren Podber – she’s a Principal Intelligence Analyst at Red Canary, firm that specializes in managing cybersecurity endpoint detection, planning and response. They were also among the first to assess the first threat we’re going to discuss – Raspberry Robin.

 For more information on the work Red Canary does, you can go to www.redcanary.com

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 [email protected].

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JBS Foods is a $30B meat processor that most people didn’t know about until they paid ransomware attackers REvil $11M last June in order to get plants in the U.S. and Brazil up and running, and prevent what is believed to be up to 5 TB of data from being leaked.

According to SecurityScorecard.com, the hackers obtained leaked credentials from employees in Australia and began probing the company’s network and extracting data three months prior to issuing their demands.

SecurityScorecard estimates that over 20 percent of food companies have a known vulnerability, and nearly 400 have suffered a breach and/or attack. 

To help shed some light on these vulnerabilities, and how to prevent or respond to them, we’re excited to welcome Matt Parsons, Director of Network and Security Product Management at Sungard Availability Services to the program. Sungard is a leading provider of network and cloud computing security services.

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 [email protected].

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The rise in ransomware attacks throughout the industrial sector has led to a surge in another, related activity – the purchasing of cyber insurance to help soften the blow of these attacks.

But today’s guest emphasizes that beyond just insurance to cover the costs of these intrusions, the manufacturing sector needs to implement more proactive strategies that encompass prevention and recovery.

I’m pleased to welcome Allen Jenkins, VP of Cybersecurity Consulting at InterVision to this episode of Security Breach. InterVision is a leading provider of services focused on enterprise network security. For more information on the work InterVision does, you can go to www.intervision.com

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 [email protected].

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There were a lot of trends emanating from the mid-1980s that thankfully died out over time, but one of them has not only persisted, but thrived. Although there were numerous samples of malware impacting early computer networks, the one that captured both headlines and the admiration of cyber criminals was the PC-Write Trojan virus. 

Iterations would follow, with perhaps the best known example of industrial malware – Stuxnet – being introduced about 25 years later. It would be topped by WannaCry Ransomware just seven years after that. 

In all these cases, bad actors were able to probe vulnerabilities, identify weak spots, and exploit these lapses in erasing data, eliminating access, or promising more extensive damage if their monetary demands were not met. 

These viruses, worms and malicious coding is still present today, and those armed with this malware have gotten smarter, their attacks more complex, and their search for victims more intense. The industrial sector and municipal utilities, with their combination of lucrative IP, essential production models and lagging security protocols, have become a favorite target. 

Joining us today to help navigate this minefield of bad actors is Marty Edwards. He’s the Vice President of OT Security at Tenable – a leading provider of infrastructure and cloud network software and security solutions. 

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 [email protected].

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The surge in cyberattacks experienced by the industrial sector has been credited to a number of issues ranging from outdated security software to lagging protocols surrounding data access and storage. But, according to today’s guest, one of the main reasons we’ve seen an uptick in these attacks could simply be because they’re more profitable.

Joel Burleson Davis is the CTO of SecureLink – a leading provider of secure access management solutions. He notes that in addition to manufacturing being the second-most targeted sector, it offers the largest average payout for ransomware attacks. 

So the industrial sector now faces the multi-faceted realities of attacks that are more complex, Russian hackers more emboldened by the Ukrainian conflict, and a greater number of vulnerabilities stemming from an uptick in connected devices throughout manufacturing.

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 [email protected].

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You’ve probably heard a number of reports citing ransomware as the leading attack strategy within the industrial sector. In some instances, it’s been reported that ransomware groups are focusing as much as 70 percent of their activity on manufacturing enterprises. 

In one report from ICS security specialist Dragos, it was reported that 65 percent of all attacks thrown at the industrial sector were of the ransomware variety. And according to this episode's guest, cybersecurity attacks like these are never a one-and-done occurrence, meaning on-going vigilance against ransomware criminals and the like require on-going security diligence. 

Greg Scasny is the CTO of Blueshift Cybersecurity, a provider of security solutions focused on helping small and medium-sized enterprises develop and maintain a security posture that simultaneously defends against attacks while working to preserve ongoing operations.

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 [email protected].

Send us Fan Mail

The industrial sector knows all too well about the need to innovate product offerings and production strategies in order to stay ahead of the competition. Unfortunately, the same can be said for cyber criminals looking to either steal information or hold your data, manufacturing capabilities, or intellectual property for ransom. 

Just as you continue to develop new strategies to respond to hacks and protect you digital presence, these bad actors are continuing to update and enhance their schemes in order to improve the success rate of their attacks. 

In an effort to help counter these bad actors and stay a step ahead, NETSCOUT Systems recently unveiled their bi-annual Threat Intelligence Report. It offers insight on the continued threats presented by Distributed Denial of Service and ransomware attacks. 

To help walk us through the report and offer additional insight on some of the new tactics being utilized to carry out these legacy cybersecurity attacks is NETSCOUT’s Threat Intelligence Lead, Richard Hummel.

For more information on the work NETSCOUT does, you can go to netscout.com. And to get a look at their recent report, you can go to https://www.netscout.com/threatreport

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 [email protected].

Send us Fan Mail

The industrial sector knows all too well about the need to innovate product offerings and production strategies in order to stay ahead of the competition. Unfortunately, the same can be said for cyber criminals looking to either steal information or hold your data, manufacturing capabilities, or intellectual property for ransom. 

Just as you continue to develop new strategies to respond to hacks and protect you digital presence, these bad actors are continuing to update and enhance their schemes in order to improve the success rate of their attacks. 

In an effort to help counter these bad actors and stay a step ahead, NETSCOUT Systems recently unveiled their bi-annual Threat Intelligence Report. It offers insight on the continued threats presented by Distributed Denial of Service and ransomware attacks. 

To help walk us through the report and offer additional insight on some of the new tactics being utilized to carry out these legacy cybersecurity attacks is NETSCOUT’s Threat Intelligence Lead, Richard Hummel.

For more information on the work NETSCOUT does, you can go to netscout.com. And to get a look at their recent report, you can go to https://www.netscout.com/threatreport

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 [email protected].

Send us Fan Mail

While rogue individuals with an agenda and advanced cybersecurity skills are still prevalent, most headline-grabbing hacks are now originating from well-organized, highly talented groups or organizations. Not only does this dynamic provide access to a greater pool of talent, but it makes stopping a multi-faceted attack more difficult.

One of the most notorious of these cyber terrorist groups is BlackByte. The Ransomware-as-a-service group recently made headlines by hacking the National Football League’s San Francisco 49ers right before the league’s biggest weekend – the most recent Super Bowl.

The group was able to exploit a vulnerability in the team’s Microsoft Exchange server and implement a tool called Cobalt Strike. Users were then sent hourly ransom notes via a print bomb to all printers connected to the infected machine. 

While the 49ers have downplayed the impact of the hack, it did result in the release of financial documents that BlackByte posted to a site on the dark web. No ransom demands were made public, but the amount of data actually stolen remains unknown.

The growing reach, ability and boldness of these groups should give everyone in the industrial sector pause – regardless of your role or job title. If they can access data from a billion-dollar franchise, your IP and financial data is, at least, just as vulnerable.

The good news is that we have people like Lauren Podber, Principal Intelligence Analyst at Red Canary, to help guide us in getting ahead of groups like BlackByte. Lauren and her cohorts at Red Canary specialize in managing cybersecurity endpoint detection, planning and response. She recently sat down to discuss BlackByte, the importance of having a response plan at the ready, and what hacks to look out for over the next 12-18 months.

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 [email protected].