CS4CA US Summit 2024 brings together IT and OT security leaders for critical infrastructure protection
Following the recent S4x24 event, the cybersecurity industry will converge once again at the upcoming 12th annual Cyber Security for Critical Assets (CS4CA) USA Summit kicking off in Houston, Texas on March 26th – 27th. The CS4CA US event will unite IT and OT (operational technology) security leaders from various sectors of the US critical infrastructure.
The summit features two specialized streams for delegates to focus on their specific areas of interest, along with plenary sessions that bring together professionals from both groups.
Organized by QG Media, the two-day CS4CA US event provides attendees a chance to collaborate with senior security experts from industries such as oil and gas, energy, utilities, power, water, mining, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors. The event provides a platform to engage in discussions that influence the American cybersecurity landscape in 2024 and beyond, fostering valuable partnerships and insights.
Industrial Cyber had an opportunity to catch up with a couple of speakers at the event. The executives provided their expectations from the 2024 CS4CA US Summit.
“I’m looking forward to interacting with other experts and professionals in the ICS/ OT sector and exchanging ideas. It will give me an opportunity to stay updated on many key areas while reinforcing best practices in key cybersecurity areas,” Shri Cockroft, director of IT compliance and disaster recovery at AmeriCold Logistics, told Industrial Cyber. “I value professional development, as I have a requirement to complete a minimum of 20 hours per annum.”
Overall, Cockroft added that she expects “to realize a range of benefits from attending this esteemed event offered by CS4CA, from building new connections, exposure to others with key insights, and enhancing my ability to strengthen cybersecurity posture at my organization.”
Joseph Couture, regional information security officer for Americas and CISO United States at Ørsted said that his “expectations for CS4CA are to network with my peers in other critical infrastructure sectors, and learn how their successes and failures can benefit the work my organization is doing in the energy sector.”
He also pointed out that, “We have great collaboration within the energy sector, but there are fewer opportunities to cross-domains.”
Addressing the top focus area this year within the OT/ICS sector, Cockroft said “Our main focus this year is building out a comprehensive asset inventory and designation of an administrative resource to maintain it.”
She added, “We will be strategically embarking on a global modernization effort to OT systems, tools, and infrastructure.”
“My focus area this year in the OT/ICS domain is addressing the increasing threat landscape,” according to Couture. “This includes new threats, such as Volt Typhoon, and the expanded capabilities of existing threats thanks to AI and the democratization of offensive tooling.”
The executives also throw light on what is their primary focus when designing an OT Security Program.
Cockroft detailed that she found that executive support is fundamental to the design of an effective OT Security Program. “In order to gain that much-needed support, the security leader must understand their leadership audience, speak in a way that ties the security program requirements to their strategic goals, and relay the resourcing requirements clearly and concisely as it pertains to funding and having a dedicated person responsible for OT security,” she added.
“For the ‘Cyber Attacks’ panel I intend to focus on pre-attack initiatives organizations need to take, especially developing relationships with law enforcement, and how that relationship can help the organization right through the recovery process,” Couture mentioned.
The Houston event is followed by the fifth annual CS4CA APAC Summit, ‘Cyber Security for Critical Assets APAC,’ in Singapore on April 3rd-4th. This year, it will be held alongside the APAC Cyber Summit, providing a platform for cybersecurity leaders in both IT and OT security realms to enhance their organizations’ defenses against cyber threats. The CS4CA APAC Summit aims to bring together over 100 security leaders from diverse critical infrastructure sectors across the Asia Pacific region, including energy, agriculture, oil and gas, manufacturing, aviation, and transport.
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