Hack the Plant

Bryson Bort

Electricity. Finance. Transportation. Our water supply. In Hack the Plant, podcast host Bryson Bort looks for answers to the question: Does connecting these systems, and others, to the internet leaves us more vulnerable to attacks by our enemies? We often take these critical infrastructure systems for granted, but they’re all becoming increasingly dependent on the internet to function. From the ransomware threats of Colonial Pipeline to the failure of the Texas power grid, it is clear our interconnectivity is also a significant source of risk. Hack the Plant walks through the world of hackers working on the front lines of cyber security and public safety to protect the systems you rely upon every day. Hack the Plant is brought to you by ICS Village and the Institute for Security and Technology. ICS Village is a nonprofit that equips industry experts and policymakers with the tools to better defend our critical infrastructure. We educate people on critical infrastructure security with hands-on examples, not just nerd stuff. Catch us at an event near you! www.icsvillage.com. The Institute for Security and Technology is a nonprofit think tank with the mission to bridge gaps between technology and policy leaders to help solve these emerging security problems together. Learn more at securityandtechnology.org.

  1. 13H AGO

    Kindness and Critical Infrastructure: Rethinking OT Security

    In this bonus episode, Bryson Bort sits down with Andrea Haddad, a leader in technology and infrastructure architecture. Andrea has almost two decades of global experience across infrastructure, including network operations, enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, and cloud strategy. After beginning her career on the IT side, Andrea now specializes in building secure, scalable, and resilient digital foundations. She takes Bryson through her transition from IT to OT, segmentation in the real world, and why the future of manufacturing depends on both better architectures—and better intentions. What are the unique security challenges of a manufacturing environment? What are the best - and worst case scenarios for manufacturing and cyber conflict? And what’s the secret to overcoming cultural differences between IT and OT? “In our industry, our main concern is protecting…. In people, protecting production, protecting society, environment. So we can work all day long to come up with new architecture, new ideas. But if there's another hacker that wants to hack into the organization, he's going to always find a way. So the magic wand, to be honest, would be just simply kindness,” Andrea said.  Join us for this and more on this episode of Hack the Plan[e]t.  This June 17-18, join us for Critical Effect DC! Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/critical-effect-dc-2026-tickets-1987141703327?aff=oddtdtcreator The views and opinions expressed in this podcast represent those of the speaker, and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.  Hack the Plant is brought to you by ICS Village and the Institute for Security and Technology.

    33 min
  2. Local Infrastructure is Critical Infrastructure

    08/13/2025

    Local Infrastructure is Critical Infrastructure

    Our host Bryson sits down with Colin Ahern and Kirk Herath, two of the only cybersecurity experts working in Governors’ offices in the United States. Colin was appointed Chief Cyber Officer of the State of New York by Governor Kathy Hochul in June 2022, and Kirk stepped into his role as Cybersecurity Strategic Advisor to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted the same year. In their positions, Colin and Kirk are responsible for coordinating their states’ cybersecurity capabilities, overseeing threat assessment and response, working with local governments to prepare for and remediate cyber attacks, and more.   What were the critical lessons learned in building statewide cybersecurity programs from the ground up? How do states navigate the shifting landscape of federal support? And what are the biggest challenges and opportunities on the horizon for cyber czars and strategic advisors across the country?  “You can't replicate these shared services unless you're doing it together. You just can't. We can either succeed together or we can fail separately. There's really not a middle ground where we can all have exactly everything we want all the time. Because like we've said, this is a risk management exercise in a world of limited resources,” Colin explained.  Join us for this and more on this episode of Hack the Plan[e]t.  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast represent those of the speaker, and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of their employers.  Hack the Plant is brought to you by ICS Village and the Institute for Security and Technology.

    51 min
4.8
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Electricity. Finance. Transportation. Our water supply. In Hack the Plant, podcast host Bryson Bort looks for answers to the question: Does connecting these systems, and others, to the internet leaves us more vulnerable to attacks by our enemies? We often take these critical infrastructure systems for granted, but they’re all becoming increasingly dependent on the internet to function. From the ransomware threats of Colonial Pipeline to the failure of the Texas power grid, it is clear our interconnectivity is also a significant source of risk. Hack the Plant walks through the world of hackers working on the front lines of cyber security and public safety to protect the systems you rely upon every day. Hack the Plant is brought to you by ICS Village and the Institute for Security and Technology. ICS Village is a nonprofit that equips industry experts and policymakers with the tools to better defend our critical infrastructure. We educate people on critical infrastructure security with hands-on examples, not just nerd stuff. Catch us at an event near you! www.icsvillage.com. The Institute for Security and Technology is a nonprofit think tank with the mission to bridge gaps between technology and policy leaders to help solve these emerging security problems together. Learn more at securityandtechnology.org.

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