Q4 Cybersecurity Breakfast: Briefing & Guidance

Organized by DES and hosted at the Energy Innovation Center, the Q4 Cybersecurity Breakfast brought together cybersecurity professionals to explore the evolving challenges and strategies in today's digital defense landscape.

Jake Barto, representing Fortinet, took the stage as the main presenter, guiding attendees through a session that unveiled the complexities of contemporary cybersecurity. With insights drawn from industry experiences and real-world incidents, Barto provided a comprehensive view of the ever-changing threat landscape.

Kicking off with a striking statistic from IBM's research —revealing that enterprises deploy an average of 45 security solutions across their networks — the discussion revolved around the shift from Best of Breed to Security Fabric or Cybersecurity Mesh Architecture (CSMA). This approach integrates diverse security tools into a collaborative ecosystem, centralizing control and data for enhanced detection, response mechanisms, and adaptive management.

Jody Ogle, a veteran cybersecurity advisor with experience mitigating hundreds of ransomware situations, elaborated on the role of CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) in ensuring infrastructure resilience. “Cybersecurity must be an investment. It needn’t be much, but it must be a sustained priority,” he emphasized. He highlighted CISA resources available to the private sector, such as assessments, tabletop exercises, and incident response assistance.

Throughout the event, attendees delved into tangible examples of current threats, including instances like the Progress MOVEit Transfer SQL Injection Vulnerability and zero-day exploits by malicious actors. Recommendations, such as Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Endpoint Protection (EP) and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) were suggested as a means for continuous access verification and advanced threat mitigation.

Closer to home, the presentation underscored the vulnerabilities in Operational Technology (OT) systems, citing incidents like the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa hack. Iran-linked hacktivist groups targeting industrial control systems (ICS) reiterated the urgent need for secure OT environments, emphasizing the critical role of vulnerability scanning services offered by entities like CISA to fortify these vital systems against attacks.

As a next step, we encourage you to take advantage of a complimentary cybersecurity threat assessment, offering insights into vulnerabilities present within your network. This assessment serves as a crucial starting point towards shoring up your defenses and safeguarding against potential risks.

Stay tuned for our 2024 cyber briefings, where we'll continue to explore the latest trends, insights, and strategies in cybersecurity.