Mastermind — Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity9

The threat is real.
But not as real as the cost of ignoring it.

SolarWinds. Colonial Pipeline. Oldsmar. Some cyberattacks get all the press. Whether because all-out catastrophe was so narrowly avoided, or in the case of the Colonial Pipeline, an entire region was brought to its knees, with the effects rippling throughout the country.

Cyberattacks that impact the IT and Operational Technology (OT) networks are visible. However, cyberattacks or unintentional cyber incidents affecting plant operations are much less visible as can be seen by the lack of identification of the more than 125 control system cyber incidents in water and wastewater. The lack of publicity of cyberattacks that affect the operation of water systems — along with the post-9/11 transfer of cybersecurity responsibilities from engineering teams to network monitoring — has lulled us into a false sense of security. As a result, the leading U.S. security agencies issued a cybersecurity advisory to the water and wastewater system sector in October of 2021, following almost monthly ransomware attacks on water systems nationwide.

The technology that has created so many opportunities for business and process optimization (including working remotely) has also opened up new opportunities to hackers. It takes less and less sophistication to breach critical systems … and wreak more havoc than ever. If not promptly detected, the human toll can be devastating. We can stop it. But we must get serious and start now.

The Session:

This February, join LEE + RO and a panel led by:

Joe Weiss - ICS cybersecurity expert
Albert Rooyakkers - Founder, CEO, and CTO of Bedrock Automation, an Open Secure Automation® platform for cyber-secure industrial control systems
J-D Bamford - Accenture's Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity expert
Russ Ropken - Systems designer and SCADA implementation specialist

There will be other noted experts, to discuss the alarming rise in cyber threats to critical infrastructure and the latest thinking on securing our water systems. The conversation will cover:

The increasing susceptibility of water and wastewater systems to cyber attacks
Implications not only for public health and safety but also for regulatory compliance, insurance, and credit ratings
Mission assurance versus network security: prioritizing protection for water infrastructure and having the appropriate expertise (engineering and networking) involved
Guarding against known (and as-yet-undiscovered) cyber threats within our hardware supply chain

NOTE: This is not a webinar or sales presentation. It is an opportunity to engage with fellow industry experts, share ideas, raise questions and begin hashing out strategies to fortify California’s water systems for the near and distant future.

Following this 90-minute session, participants will receive:

PowerPoint slide deck
Session summary

Date: Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Time: 11:30 AM — 1:00 PM PST

Via: Zoom

REGISTER

Moderator

Kenneth Creager, P.E.

Managing Electrical Engineer

LEE + RO

Kenneth Creager, PE, is a managing electrical engineer at LEE + RO. He has more than three decades of electrical and I&C experience in the water, wastewater, utilities, and petrochemical fields. Ken’s expertise includes power generation, substation design, power distribution, heavy industrial/facilities design, as well as automation and control systems design, power system analysis, master planning, and construction.

Prior to joining LEE + RO, Ken was vice president of electrical and I&C at Montgomery Watson Harza. He was responsible for technical guidance for electrical system design and providing technical direction to the engineering staff. Ken received his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from University of the Pacific. He is a California-registered professional engineer (electrical) and is member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

Panelists

Joe Weiss, P.E., CISM, CRISC, ISA Fellow

Managing Partner

Applied Control Solutions, LLC

Joe Weiss has more than 40 years of experience in industrial instrumentation controls and automation. His expertise is in instrumentation, controls, and control system cyber security.

As the managing partner of Applied Control Solutions, Mr. Weiss provides thought leadership to industry and governments in the areas of control system cyber security and optimized control system performance. He has provided support to domestic and international utilities and other industrial companies. He authored Protecting Industrial Control Systems from Electronic Threats and co-authored chapters on cyber security for Electric Power Substations Engineering, Securing Water/Wastewater Systems, and Data Center Handbook as well as numerous articles.

Mr. Weiss is also the Managing Director of the international standards on control system cyber security – ISA99. He has patents on instrumentation, control systems, and OT networks and is a registered professional engineer and has CISM and CRISC certifications.

Albert Rooyakkers

Founder, CEO & CTO

Bedrock Automation

Albert Rooyakkers is the founder, CEO and CTO of Bedrock Automation. He brings his 35-years of process control and semiconductor industry experience to the cyber security space. As Bedrock’s visionary leader, Albert heads the design and commercialization of the Bedrock® cyber secure industrial control system. Bedrock® is the world’s first advanced OSA® Open Secure Automation platform, built on a vision of flat, open, and secure technologies to meet the severe demands of the digital age.

Before founding Bedrock Automation in 2013, he directed semiconductor sales and application development teams for Maxim Integrated, including residing in Japan as Maxim Japan Country Manager. Prior to that, he served in various senior capacities for Invensys (now Schneider Electric) in the USA and Canada, including directing product development for DCS systems and sensors and developing the Saudi Aramco account while residing in Saudi Arabia.

Albert’s accomplishments include developing a parallel computing architecture from whiteboard to silicon and designing and testing advanced hybrid propulsion systems. Albert holds more than 100 patents and patents pending in electronics, human interface, mechanical design, system design and cyber security.

J-D Bamford, P.E., GICSP,

SECURITY DELIVERY manager

Accenture Security

J-D works with clients in the energy, petrochemical, electric utility, water/wastewater, public transportation, and high-tech manufacturing sectors. As an operational technology (OT) Security Delivery Manager, he assesses, plans, and delivers critical infrastructure cybersecurity. J-D draws upon 15 years of ICS/SCADA engineering experience to inform the protection of OT systems. He collaborates with clients, building and maturing right-sized OT security programs and operating models – from governance and risk to standards, processes, architecture, and security controls requirements – in the plant and field.

J-D has a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and an M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Cal State L.A. He is a licensed mechanical engineer in the state of California.

Russ Ropken

President

RSI Company

Russ brings over 30 years of experience in automation and Windows software development. He has a demonstrated history in IEC-61131, process control, water/wastewater treatment plants, power plants, control systems design, and SCADA.

RSI Company is a gold-certified systems integrator for ICONICS and KepWare and a premier integrator for Bedrock Automation. The company provides automation consulting and training to provide secure, maintainable automation solutions.

Before founding RSI Company, Russ worked as a software development manager at Encorp, a top 5-ranked global energy technology firm providing products and services to the distributed energy market. He started at Woodward, a designer, manufacturer, and service provider of energy control and optimization solutions for aerospace and industrial markets.

Russ has an AAS in electronics from Southeast Community College.