Cyber Ireland OTSec SIG Event at CINC24, Kilkenny, 25th September 

Cyber Ireland’s Operational Technology Cybersecurity (OTSec) Special Interest Group (SIG) provides a platform for industry end-users to share information, best practices and support capability building across organisations and sectors. 

The OTSec SIG met at the Cyber Ireland National Conference on the 25th September, Kilkenny. It covered the current status of NIS2, strategies and best practices for automating OT asset inventory, and future-focused technology and its potential impact on the OT cybersecurity landscape. 

  • Welcome and Introduction – Dónal Óg Cusack, OTSec Chair 
  • The State of NIS2: What is the latest – Ciara Scully, NCSC 
  • Expert Panel Discussion: OT Asset Management Challenges and Solutions 
  • Future-focused technologies that will shape the OT Cybersecurity landscape – Dr. Lubna Luxmi, University of Limerick 
  • Closing Remarks – Dónal Óg Cusack, OTSec Chair   

Ciara Scully, Cyber Security Specialist, National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), provided a concise overview of NIS2, outlining its key objectives and recent updates. Throughout her presentation, she emphasized the importance of NIS2 in enhancing cybersecurity and ensuring alignment with EU regulations, while focusing on the path forward to ensure compliance and strengthen resilience. 

Dr. Lubna Luxmi, Associate Professor Department of Electronic & Computer Engineering, University of Limerick, presented the key areas that will influence operational technology (OT) security in the coming years. She emphasized the impact of national strategies like the Digital Ireland Framework and European Union (EU) regulations such as the AI Act and NIS2.  Emerging threats such as ransomware, vulnerabilities in 5G-IoT, quantum threats, and AI-driven attacks were discussed, alongside risks related to cloud and blockchain technologies.  Attendees were encouraged to engage in identifying OT security issues and explore solutions for incident response. 

The Expert Panel Discussion on OT Asset Management Challenges and Solutions brought together industry leaders to explore key challenges in managing OT  assets and practical solutions to address them. The panel, moderated by Dónal Óg Cusack,  Chair of Cyber Ireland OT SIG, included Joe Whyte, Global Lead for Enterprise Account Teams at Rockwell Automation, specialising in the digital supply chain, Barry O’Brien, Solution Architect at Armis, Wayne Bursey, Industrial Cybersecurity Lead at Siemens Ireland and Scotland, and Liam O’Connor, Associate Director for Cybersecurity at Accenture. 

The discussion covered issues such as securing OT environments, addressing vulnerabilities, and implementing robust asset management strategies.  

OTSec Group

Find more information on how to join the OTSec SIG and our upcoming activities – here 

To join our OTSec SIG to keep up to date with our activities and events – sign-up here. 

Next OTSec Event

Join us at the ISA Ireland OT Cybersecurity Conference, in partnership with Cyber Ireland, at the Mullingar Park Hotel, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Tuesday 19th of November 2024 – Register here 

Outline AGENDA for 2024 will be Published 15th October. 

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