Secure OT Incorporation: Bringing the OT and IT Environments Together

Presented at Kernelcon 2022, April 1, 2022, 11:35 a.m. (20 minutes).

Operational Technology (OT) networks and their systems are challenging to implement into corporate networks because a failure can result in a major increase in network-wide vulnerabilities. In this presentation I will explain some of the components of OT networks. I will also give examples of the more ubiquitous components of OT networks such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Programmable logic controllers (PLCs), Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs), and Remote Terminal Units (RTUs). I will explain what SCADA systems are used for in an OT network. And how and how they can control physical devices such as actuators, air handling equipment, and robotics. I will also discuss why an OT network is more vulnerable than a typical IT network, and how to implement an OT network into a corporate network safely. I will discuss how to properly segment an OT network, so it is safe from an existing IT network, different network architectures for combined OT/IT networks, secure network protocols for OT networks, tools to exploit OT, and how to train employees and improve upon governance of OT networks. This will also include some of the challenges you can expect to face from trying to bring these two networks together.


Presenters:

  • Harrison Koll
    I am a recent graduate from UNO's Cybersecurity program. I started my IT career programming building automation systems. This included network management of these systems, which led to many conversations surrounding how to protect an OT/IOT environment. Upon graduating I got a job working at Conagra in a Security Operations Center (SOC). And my duties include hardening the OT environment of Conagra and keeping it secure.

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