Cyber Brews - The Operational Technologies Podcast

What does a French military fortification from the 1930s have to teach us about OT cybersecurity? Quite a lot, actually.

In this episode of Cyber Brews, we take a trip back to the Second World War and explore the story of the Maginot Line a hugely engineered defensive system that largely worked as designed, but failed to stop the attack because the attacker didn't follow the route its designers expected.
We explore what this can teach us about modern OT and industrial cybersecurity, including why having a firewall doesn't mean you have a security strategy, why defence in depth is about more than simply adding more security products, and why organisations need to plan for what happens when a control fails.
We discuss:

Network segmentation, zones and conduits
Identity, authentication and least privilege
Physical and application security
Monitoring, detection and incident response
Recovery, resilience and maintaining safe operations
And perhaps most importantly challenging the assumptions behind our security strategy.

Because the lesson of the Maginot Line isn't that walls don't work. It's that a wall is only useful if you've thought about what happens when someone gets around it.
So grab a brew and join us for another Cyber Brews story.

Series 3 - Episode 5

In this episode of Cyber Brews, we explore how Remote Access fits into the IEC 62443 standard and discuss the different approaches organisations are using to securely connect to their OT environments.

We cover topics including:
▪️ The different types of OT remote access and why it's much more than simply using Remote Desktop (RDP)
▪️ The advantages and disadvantages of common remote access technologies
▪️ How secure remote access supports maintenance, vendors and operational teams
▪️ Where remote access fits within the principles of IEC 62443
▪️ Practical considerations for reducing cyber risk while maintaining operational availability

Whether you're an engineer, asset owner, system integrator or cybersecurity professional, understanding how to implement secure remote access is becoming increasingly important in today's connected industrial environments.

☕ Grab a brew and join us as we explore one of the most critical topics in OT cybersecurity.

Series 3 - Episode 4

In this episode of Cyber Brews, we dive into IEC 62443-2-1 Edition 2 and explore what the updated standard means for organisations building and managing cybersecurity programs within industrial and OT environments.

We discuss the difference between a Cybersecurity Management System (CSMS) and a broader Security Program (SP), why the terminology matters, and how the latest edition of the standard is evolving beyond traditional compliance thinking.

The episode also covers:
▪️ What the IEC 62443-2-1 security program is designed to achieve
▪️ The biggest changes introduced in Edition 2
▪️ How the standard impacts different stakeholders across industry
▪️ What engineers, site owners, OT teams, and process safety professionals should be thinking about moving forward

As industrial cyber security continues to mature, organisations are increasingly being asked to demonstrate not just technical controls, but governance, ownership, and long-term resilience.

Series 3 - Episode 3!
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly becoming part of the industrial cyber landscape but is it strengthening critical infrastructure, or introducing entirely new risks?
In this episode we explore the growing relationship between AI and OT security, discussing how organisations are beginning to rely on AI-driven technologies within critical infrastructure environments.

We dive into topics including:▪️ AI as a new dependency in critical infrastructure▪️ AI-assisted defence for OT environments▪️ How attackers are beginning to use AI against operational technology▪️ The emerging cyber “arms race” between defenders and adversaries▪️ New vulnerabilities and attack vectors introduced by AI systems▪️ Risks such as malicious data poisoning and the growing concern around AI model collapse caused by AI-generated training data

As AI adoption accelerates, understanding both the opportunities and the unintended consequences becomes increasingly important for organisations operating industrial systems.
So grab a brew and join us as we explore whether AI is becoming the future of industrial cybersecurity or the next major challenge.

Series 3 - Episode 2!
The landscape of industrial cybersecurity guidance in the UK is evolving, and many organisations are now navigating the transition from HSE’s OG86 guidance to the more comprehensive IEC 62443 standard.
In this episode of Cyber Brews, we explore what that shift really means for engineers, operators, and organisations responsible for industrial control systems and operational technology.
We discuss why OG86 existed, the role it played in protecting safety-related systems, and how the growing cyber threat landscape has driven the move toward IEC 62443’s broader, lifecycle-based approach to cybersecurity.
Along the way, we unpack key differences between the two approaches, the expectations emerging from regulators, and some of the practical challenges organisations face when applying these concepts to real-world OT environments.
So grab a brew and join us as we break down the journey from OG86 to IEC 62443 and what it means for the future of industrial cyber security!