Packet Protector PP095: OT and ICS – Where Digital and Physical Risks Meet
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Feb 3, 2026 Sam Van Ryder, co-founder of CyberSec Community and Dragos strategic account lead, brings OT/ICS security and engineering chops. He discusses why industrial systems matter, how ransomware and nation-state actors target OT, the IT/OT convergence risks, and practical visibility, patching limits, and incident response approaches for physical-critical environments.
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Community Events Grow OT Talent
- Community conferences like CyberSec Community grew from local meetups into multi-track events that include OT focus and mentorship.
- Investing in low-cost, year-round community programs helps funnel talent into OT security.
Physical Consequences Differentiate OT From IT
- OT/ICS control systems drive physical processes like power, water, and refineries and have direct physical consequences.
- Failures can cause loss of production or severe injury and even death, so risk differs from IT.
Two Parallel Threat Motivations
- Threats to OT include ransomware bleed-over and nation-state activity focused on disruption or long-term access.
- Adversaries increasingly live in environments to do recon and prepare for future disruptive actions.
