How can you stay current with industrial network security and reliability trends?

From a network standpoint: 1- Continuous monitoring and visibility are paramount. Understand your network's intricacies and potential vulnerabilities. 2- Adopt zero trust and defense in depth, ensuring that security extends beyond the perimeter, covering the entire network. 3- Recognize the complexity of supply chains and their impact on security. For connected and integrated systems, a breach in one area can have cascading effects. From a learning perspective: 1- Continuously learn through specialized webinars, industry reports, and courses. 2- Engage with expert communities and forums to exchange insights. 3- Prioritize hands-on experience with the latest security tools and protocols.

Understanding your customers supply chain will greatly expand your knowledge on what frameworks are relevant in architecting and securing your customers Industrial networks and security posture. If majority of their customers are in the EU, then make sure you follow local and European frameworks, if in the USA then do accordingly. This is over and above the product specific requirements that are brought forward by regulators and consumers, a good example would be Automotive where TISAX and UNECE can be used in conjunction with CRA and NIS2 for the European theatre. This is not even mentioning the non-vertical industry standards of ISA and NIST.

To answer this question, I would like to add my perspective as, 1. Follow / Subscribe to standards devoloping organizations specific to your type of industry. For instance for Industrial control systems , we can follow IEC62443, NIST SP 800-82. 2. Subscribe/ follow ICS security vendors such as Nozomi networks, Dragos, Ckaroty etc and attend webinars. 3. Follow ICS industry OT specific experts.

I personally use Podcasts to the fullest extend on Industrial Control networks and OT Cyber Security. Some examples would be Control Loop, The protect OT Cybersecurity Podcast, Safe Mode, The Industrial Security Podcast, Unsolicited Response and the Critical Assets Podcast.

Professional networks go hand in hand with association events and training. Regarding up-to-date information, Reddit is my go-to source for current discussions and newly identified problems. I like the diversity of sources as the shows often get one-sided from a brand trying to up-sell confidence and down-play any potential discussions of failures, which is normal. Usually, after a show, I will go to Reddit and ask the group questions about critical thoughts presented by the brands to see if there are any potential contrarian opinions. There are other online networks, but I find they are only contributed to by a few loyal members.

Before I was a SANS ICS instructor, I attended the Summit. It was a great introduction into continuing education for a field that was relatively new at the time. Since then, it has grown to an in-person and online event for thousands of ICS security practitioners. When coupled with a multi-day training, participants can learn new trends while also honing their skills with practical hands-on labs. These kinds of events aren't just about the technology and best practices, but about the larger ICS/OT security community, which is an invaluable resource for professionals wanting to learn.

I would highly recommend on presenting and/or contributing on Industrial Cyber Security to industry event in Energy, Water Works, Manufacturing, Automotive and Mining to extend Cyber risk knowledge to process engineers and plant operators in the field. If we as an industry want to make a tangible change to the security posture of Industrial networks, we need to move closer to process and the business drivers.

Using tools like ChatGPT to extrapolate protocol and diagnostic data from Wireshark or iIOT data is becoming very handy. AI is giving us the opportunity to get past clunky and legacy management interfaces and tools. It also allows us to see data from different angles to troubleshoot, design or architect security solutions for OT.

In addition to already specified 1 to 6, I personally believe following will further provide good insights to have relevant understanding in industrial network security & reliability: 7- Case studies and Incident Analysis 8- Cross-industry Insights 9- Vendor collaboration and updates 10- To have regular industrial domain threat intel updates along with regulatory compliance updates 11- Followed by periodic risk assessment of ICS network/components (part of CSMS lifecycle) keep evaluating & improving Incorporating these additional strategies will certainly strengthen the purpose

Learning from industry leaders on LinkedIn and other platforms, especially recognized Captains of Industry, is invaluable for understanding the latest trends, technologies, threats, market transitions, and nation-state activities in industrial networks, it's only half the battle. Immersing yourself in the operational realities you must protect is equally crucial. This means spending time in the mine, on the shop floor, and throughout the supply chain to gain an understanding of potential vulnerabilities and build trust with frontline operational personnel. Only through this combination of theoretical knowledge and firsthand experience can you develop truly effective security solutions for your industrial network architecture.