Hack the Plant

For the last episode of season 5, host Bryson Bort sat down with Andrew Ohrt, Resilience Director at West Yost Associates. A civil engineer specializing in water infrastructure, Andrew bridges the gap between traditional engineering and digital risk. Andrew walks us through the "invisible" nature of water systems, the impact of data centers on utility resilience, and how Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) protects our most essential resource.

How did a drive under a rebuilt bridge in Minneapolis pivot Andrew’s career toward critical infrastructure? Why did a single wastewater release shut down Waikiki Beach for an entire week? And what happens when a cybersecurity team finds a client’s PLC exposed on the open internet?

“To me, the integration of understanding cyber or digital risk in our critical infrastructure, the engineers picking that understanding up, building awareness, building skill sets, figuring out how to manage that risk, is one of the most important things that we've been working on,” he said.

Join us for this and more on this episode of Hack the Plan[e]t. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast represent those of the speaker, and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers. 

Hack the Plant is brought to you by ICS Village and the Institute for Security and Technology.

Our host Bryson Bort welcomes Dr. Natalie Sullivan, Medical Director of the Emergency Response Medical Group and an emergency medicine physician at a D.C. area hospital. Trained in EMS and disaster and operational medicine, Natalie turned her attention to the critical intersection of clinical medicine, patient safety, and cybersecurity resilience after experiencing a prolonged ransomware attack on a major hospital. Dr. Sullivan lays out the disaster preparedness cycle, and the many vectors of risks for hospitals. 
How does a cyberattack on one hospital lead to increased cardiac arrest mortality at the hospital three blocks away? Why is a generation of "digital native" doctors a hidden vulnerability in an analog emergency? And what happens when a hospital's reliance on these "tightly coupled" systems—like water, power, and the Medical IoT—collapses during a ransomware event?
“We are critical infrastructure, but we're deeply, deeply dependent on the surrounding critical infrastructure,” Dr. Sullivan said. 
Join us for this and more on this episode of Hack the Plan[e]t. 
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast represent those of the speaker, and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers. 
Hack the Plant is brought to you by ICS Village and the Institute for Security and Technology.

Bryson Bort is joined by Dd Budiharto, Microsoft’s Customer Security Officer for the Oil, Gas, and Energy sectors, to share her experience bridging the IT/OT divide in the energy sector. Drawing on her background as a former CISO and industry veteran with decades of experience starting security programs at giants like Halliburton and Marathon Oil, Dd breaks down IT vs OT auditing, the cultural divide in oil and gas, and what cybersecurity looks like in the energy sector.   
How did an early mistake involving a patch reboot change Dd's career forever? What is preventing private companies and the FBI from working together? Why is basic hygiene—like disabling terminated accounts—still the biggest "unsolved" problem in billion-dollar industries? 
“If you want to upgrade your home, to modernize it, the foundation still needs to be fixed first,” Dd said. 
Join us for this and more on this episode of Hack the Plan[e]t. 
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast represent those of the speaker, and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers. 
Hack the Plant is brought to you by ICS Village and the Institute for Security and Technology.

In this episode, host Bryson Bort sits down with Gary Kessler, retired cybersecurity professor and co-founder and director of the Maritime Hacking Village. As a maritime cybersecurity researcher, consultant, and practitioner with nearly fifty years of experience, Gary walks us through the ins and outs of cybersecurity at sea, automated identification systems (AIS), and AI’s current and future role in maritime operations. 
What is AIS spoofing, and why is it dangerous? What are the unique challenges posed by cybersecurity at sea? Is the maritime industry ready for artificial intelligence integrations? 
“AI is going to [present] really incredible opportunities for us moving forward. I think however, it is a tool that is not well understood in general by people who are not specialists. And particularly in the maritime industry, we're going to have to get a lot better at understanding the capabilities and the pitfalls,” Gary said. 
Join us for this and more on this episode of Hack the Plan[e]t. 
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast represent those of the speaker, and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers. 
Hack the Plant is brought to you by ICS Village and the Institute for Security and Technology.

Deputy Managing Director at the Cyber Readiness Institute Lessie Skiba joins host Bryson Bort to discuss the CRI’s new program connecting small- and medium-sized water utilities with cyber coaches to strengthen their resilience.
What if the most effective cybersecurity solution isn't a new piece of technology, but a human connection? How can we empower small businesses to tackle cyber threats, even with limited resources? And if Lessie could wave a magic, air-gapped wand, what is one fundamental change she would make to our digital landscape?
Join us for this and more on this episode of Hack the Plan[e]t. 
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast represent those of the speaker, and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers. 
Hack the Plant is brought to you by ICS Village and the Institute for Security and Technology.