Events , Governance & Risk Management , Operational Technology (OT)
How IT-OT Convergence Affects the Threat Landscape
NTT's Ashish Thapar Discusses the Real-World Impact of IT-OT Cyberattacks
The convergence of IT and OT is happening for the right reasons, but it also has created a level of interconnection between components that were historically separated and have different levels of maturity.
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OT security tends to get grouped in the same category as IT security - it's just a computer threat, a ransomware or a virus. But the difference is that OT can have a kinetic impact that can actually cause bodily harm to people, said Ashish Thapar, vice president and head of cybersecurity consulting at NTT.
It also can cause "disruption to the economy and the entire continuity of a nation's functions. Whether it is medical, security, safety of people or transportation, it can lead to a very grim scenario for a country if something goes sideways," he said.
In this video interview with Information Security Media Group at RSA Conference 2023, Thapar also discusses:
- The real-world impact of IT-OT risks;
- Applying malicious AI technology in OT attacks;
- Why IoT asset owners are still lagging in understanding the risks.
Thapar has more than two decades of information security experience, managing security consulting teams across the Asia Pacific-Japan region. He specializes in the areas of security strategy, threat and vulnerability management, governance, risk and compliance, payment security, incident response, digital forensics and cyberthreat intelligence.
