EP 89: How AI Is Breaking OT Cybersecurity

At Black Hat USA 2026, cybersecurity experts issued a stark warning: we may have just three years to shore up the invisible web of keys and certificates that keeps power grids, billing systems, and critical infrastructure secure. Ellen Boehm of Keyfactor explains why the clock is ticking—and what must happen now with post-quantum cryptography.

Why one vendor breach can take down dozens of banks — third-party risk, AI-driven attacks, and why patching fast may beat patching safe today.  Jeffrey Wheatman, Senior Vice President, Cyber Risk Strategist at Black Kite, explains.

AI is rewriting the OT attack playbook. Growing cloud exposure and CVE backlogs are testing the energy sector—and regulation alone won't save it. Jori VanAntwerp, CEO and founder of Ember OT, discusses AI-driven attacks, NERC CIP 15, and why segmentation still matters.

Critical infrastructure is under attack. AI just made it easier. Legacy devices can't be patched. Piotr Kupisiewicz, CTO at Elisity, describes how your best defense is the basics that you're ignoring.

An AI agent wiped out an entire company’s data in just 9 seconds — no hacker, no ransomware involved. Todd Thorsen, Chief Information Security Officer at CrashPlan, explains how a misconfigured AI agent operating without safeguards may have caused the incident — and asks a troubling question: could your organization be next?

Cellular modules in your IoT devices are trusted and that trust can be an insecure  pivot point into your network for attackers. Deral Heiland, Principal Security Research for IoT at Rapid 7 discusses his presentation at RSAC 2026 on AT command exploits and supply chain risk.

Let’s face it, the Purdue model's DMZ is gone. Trevor Dearing, Director of Critical Infrastructure Solutions at Illumio, explains how zero trust, micro-segmentation, and explicit policy are now the only reliable defense for critical infrastructure OT.

Airports illustrate the potential impact of OT attacks that disrupt functionality. Dan Gunter, CEO of Insane Cyber, talks about how industrial environments differ from traditional IT, particularly in their reliance on availability and safety, where disruptions can have significant real-world and financial consequences.

The surge in renewables and decentralized power is reshaping grids—and exposing them to new operational and cyber risks. In this episode, Rafael Narezzi, Co-Founder & CEO of Centrii, explains how rising connectivity widens the attack surface, leaving energy infrastructure increasingly vulnerable.

Kerberos, a decades-old authentication protocol, creates hidden risks in OT environments. Dor Segal, security researcher team lead at Silverfort, discusses delegation abuse, cipher downgrade attacks, and person-in-the-middle threats—highlighting why legacy encryption, patching challenges, and operational constraints make identity security critical in industrial networks.