Ransomware attacks have become very common in recent years. With malware kits being readily available for download, they are relatively easy to launch and present an opportunity for considerable monetary gain. Any system that is connected to the Internet – directly or indirectly – is potentially vulnerable. This Insight examines the risk of ransomware attacks on Operations Technology (OT) systems. The nature of the risk is different than for typical business systems because of the different potential consequences.
Identifying and addressing these risks was the subject of a workshop conducted as part of the 26th annual ARC Forum in Orlando. Speakers Michael Fabian of Synopsys Software Integrity Group and Klint Walker of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency offered specific guidance on how to address these risks, and panelists Sandra Parker of Dow, Glenn Aydell of BASF, and Torey Smith of Hemlock Semiconductor shared their perspectives.