Bright frogs, Monarch butterflies, Black-yellow bees and industrial automation- same thing?

As counter-intuitive as it may sound- Is automation a stupid loud colour to wear that attracts predators because of bigger attack surfaces or is it strangely-aposematic enough to tell the bad actors - stay away? Specially when security is baked in and bold- and ready for any camouflage? And what happens when Quantum and third-party supply chains make their way into industrial forests? We may not have all the answers but how about a purple-team approach to begin with.

- By Pratima H

Paul Smith, Global Portfolio Director, Cybersecurity, Honeywell has spent over 20 years in the Automation Control space, and that too tackling the 'red herring' problems that were thrown his way. He has been wielding unique issues include measurement imbalances resulting from flare sensor saturation, database migration mishaps, EEPROM production line failures, and many more. As his career evolved, he began spending most of his time in the Industrial Cybersecurity space, pioneering the use of new security technology in the energy, utility and critical infrastructure sectors. He has been both busy and adept with red team/pentest engagements, cybersecurity risk assessments, and tabletop exercises for some of the world's largest government contractors, industrial organizations, and municipalities. Let's ask him what makes any critical infrastructure strong or weak in the wake of today's threats and tomorrow's adversaries. Specially with larger attack surfaces and Quantum forces.

What has changed about Factory and plant automationrelated security implications recently? Has automation created a security paradox of a bigger and easier attack surface in OT realms as well?