Industrial Control Systems (ICS) are the silent machines that control the world all around us. ICS systems are used to control elevators, subways, building HVAC systems and the electricity we use. The convergence of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) in the ICS marketplace has been taking place over the last 20 years. This convergence, while increasing ICS operational efficiency, is also increasing cyber risk. In this course, you will learn how to identify the protocols being used in OT networks, how to decode them and the tools and procedures to perform network assessments on these networks.
Designing, installing and maintaining process automation networks is where I started my career 25 years ago. Most of my experience with SCADA systems was in the integration of data between the IT and OT networks. In 2005, I realized how security was more of an afterthought in my work and I shifted my focus to securing ICS networks. Now I am turning into a network security monitoring (NSM) professional and using this technology to help ICS engineers understand the impacts they have on the security of control system networks. I focus on providing practical solutions to meet national critical infrastructure cyber security requirements. My main interest is in bridging the gap between the information technology (IT) requirements and operational technology (OT) requirements. Those requirements are not synchronized and causes much confusion and heartache in the industry.