The Role of Engineers in the Inevitable Reincarnation of Cybersecurity

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Joseph Weiss has recorded more than 11 million control-system cyber incidents, which have, he says, “collectively resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and more than $90 billion in direct damage.”

The Insecure Camera

In September 2022, the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) released a white paper titled “Safeguarding Devices — Not Just Data — From Cyberattacks” (link below). This 3,500-word paper provides a chilling insight into the complications currently faced by the cybersecurity industry. Why “chilling”? Because hackers are moving well beyond extortion and the sale of stolen data and are increasingly targeting takeovers of physical equipment for much more insidious purposes, such as causing massive power blackouts, poisoning water systems, or other forms of death, destruction, and general mayhem.

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Joseph Weiss: A man on a cybersecurity defense mission.

“For mechanical engineers, I would say this is a major opportunity to make a difference not only to your career, but to civilization itself.” — Joseph Weiss

All three of the Israeli attacks occurred via vulnerable cellular routers which allow an organization to remotely connect to its industrial systems. Following the attacks, the Israel Water Authority hired a cyber security firm to protect its water utilities from ICS and OT cyber-attacks on their machinery and equipment.

The Case of the Killer Coffee Pot

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Two average Joes? Not quite. L to R, Daan Keuper and Thijs Alkemade, the two cybersecurity researchers who gained access to power grids, pipelines, and more.

Trust Nobody, Trust Nothing

Hackers are moving well beyond extortion and the sale of stolen data and are increasingly targeting takeovers of physical equipment for much more insidious purposes.

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Charles Henderson, head of X-Force at IBM Security, urges the adoption of a Zero Trust model.

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