Page 77 - Cyber Defense eMagazine Special RSA Conference Annual Edition for 2022

Colonial Pipeline is one of the largest oil suppliers in the country. The attack forced the corporation to
shut down operations, generating supply shortages and higher fuel prices.

4. Limit Long Term Damage with OT

An OT incident could do more than cause an immediate headache and require damage control. The
effects could last long-term. An ounce of prevention today will protect against the catastrophic possibilities
of being hacked tomorrow.

OT systems are comprised of highly complex technologies, making it even easier for complications to
occur and go unnoticed. These attacks could cost organizations millions – even billions – in loss and
recovery. Cybersecurity Ventures predicted that cybercrime would cost companies $6 trillion in 2021 and
cybercrime costs are expected to grow 15 percent per year reaching $10.5 trillion by 2025. The financial
incentive to protect cyber assets is a large one, not to mention the impact an attack could have on the
surrounding communities, company employees, and overall revenue.

5. Threats to Human Life Set OT In a Class of Its Own

Approximately 9.2 trillion gallons of water cover 247 square miles leading to the iconic Hoover Dam,
enough water to fill the Great Salt Lake in Salt Lake City, Utah – twice. Now, imagine the entirety of the
Great Salt Lake flooded over the states of Nevada and Arizona. A cybersecurity attack on the Hoover
Dam could do just that and there are similar concerns for many major utility companies that house
thousands of gallons of oil and water.

One well-planned attack on a water, oil, or gas company could spell trouble for an entire region of the
country, impacting communities, businesses and schools, costing millions—even billions—of dollars in
loss and recovery. In a recent study by Gartner, cyber attackers will have weaponized operational
technology (OT) environments to successfully harm or kill humans by 2025.

There are, however, ways to avoid the consequences of an attack. Recently, 1898 & Co. made a drastic
push to keep OT environments safe, partnering with the Idaho National Laboratory, a U.S. Department
of Energy national laboratory, to apply the patent-pending consequence-driven, cyber-informed
engineering (CCE) discipline to protect the most critical aspects of utilities; oil, gas and chemicals;
pipelines; defense industrial base; transportation; ports and maritime; and manufacturing companies. It’s
a strategy we recommend to everyone. The key to handling attacks is prevention. With OT integration,
we can keep our homeland organizations safe and secure.

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