02 April 2018

Open for Insights: Kaspersky Lab Industrial Cybersecurity Conference 2018 Call for Papers

The growing interconnectedness of IT and operational technology (OT) systems raises new security challenges and requires the transformation of both protection technologies and the mindsets of board members, engineers and IT security teams. To drive the discussion around the future of OT cybersecurity and equip industry practitioners with the relevant knowledge and best practices, Kaspersky Lab invites industrial cybersecurity experts to submit their researches and reports to its 6th annual conference on industrial cybersecurity by June 1.

The vast majority (83%) of industrial companies rank digital transformation as a critical strategic imperative to their company’s long-term success[i]. However, OT internet exposure provides opportunities not just for industrial organizations but for their cyber adversaries – and that should be addressed by ICS practitioners and the cybersecurity industry.  This year the conference will take place on September, 19 — 21 in Sochi, the capital of the Olympic Winter Games 2014, gathering together hundreds of OT security practitioners, programme managers, control system engineers, critical infrastructure professionals, media and analysts. Devoted to examining the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation, the conference provides wide opportunities to discuss the newest and most challenging cyber security risks to industrial control systems and the most effective defenses.

Call for Papers: Don’t miss the June 1 deadline!

Last year’s event was attended by several well-known industry experts, including S4 Conference Chairman Dale Peterson, Tofino Security founder Eric Byers, researcher Marina Krotofil and many others.  By June 1, 2018, every OT practitioner has a chance to become this year’s conference speaker and share their OT security research, incidents response cases, or innovative approaches to the cyber risks facing the industry. This year, topics in the conference scope are: Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and SCADA systems, smartgrid, smart cities; embedded systems, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industrial automation, robotics, innovative technologies, AI, ML, cloud in IT/OT networks, ICS security assessments and penetration testing in critical infrastructures. The application submissions form is available at the Conference website. Those whose submissions are picked by the Conference Committee, will get their conference trip expenses covered.

“The new challenges facing industrial organizations make industry leaders responsible for bringing together cybersecurity expertise and defining coordinated responses to future threats,” said Andrey Suvorov, Head of Critical Infrastructure Protection, Kaspersky Lab. “And looking ahead, we are keen to contribute to the future of industrial cybersecurity and, together with our guests, define the prospects of ICS digital transformation”.

To learn more about the ICS Conference, please visit https://ics.kaspersky.com/conference/.

[i] According to “Digital Transformation in the Industrial Sector” research by Spencer Stuart with the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) https://ics-cert.kaspersky.com/away?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spencerstuart.com%2Fresearch-and-insight%2Fdigital-transformation-in-the-industrial-sector