Skip to content
Horizontal-logo
  • 125 Years of Exceptional
  • Markets
    • Aviation
    • Cultural Resources
    • Education
    • Federal
    • Food & Beverage
    • Justice
    • Renewable Energy
    • State & Local
    • Transportation
    • Water
  • Services
    • Architecture & Interiors
    • Construction Services
    • Engineering
    • Environmental
    • Fabrication & Custom Manufacturing
    • Planning
    • Sustainability & Resilience
    • Technology & Security
  • Portfolio
  • News
  • About
    • Purpose & Values
    • Meet Our Team
    • Inclusion & Belonging
    • Corporate Responsibility
    • Locations
    • Scholarship Opportunities
    • Our History
    • Events
  • Careers
  • 125 Years of Exceptional
  • Markets
    • Aviation
    • Cultural Resources
    • Education
    • Federal
    • Food & Beverage
    • Justice
    • Renewable Energy
    • State & Local
    • Transportation
    • Water
  • Services
    • Architecture & Interiors
    • Construction Services
    • Engineering
    • Environmental
    • Fabrication & Custom Manufacturing
    • Planning
    • Sustainability & Resilience
    • Technology & Security
  • Portfolio
  • News
  • About
    • Purpose & Values
    • Meet Our Team
    • Inclusion & Belonging
    • Corporate Responsibility
    • Locations
    • Scholarship Opportunities
    • Our History
    • Events
  • Careers

The New Age of Weaponized Cyberattacks

  • September 1, 2022
person in hardhat holds a phone near a bridge with tech graphics overlaid

The blurring of the line between Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) has improved capability and efficiencies in transportation, food manufacturing, healthcare, utilities, and logistics industries. The convergence of IT and OT helps businesses understand operations and optimize processes, but it also creates a unique opportunity for bad actors and cyberattacks.

There is no question that OT vulnerabilities are being targeted, and a successful attack would create real-world consequences for humans. Gartner Senior Research Director Wam Voster was recently quoted as saying, “In operational environments, security and risk management leaders should be more concerned about real-world hazards to humans and the environment, rather than information theft.”

Traditionally, OT represented physical devices, such as industrial control systems, fire control systems and physical access control systems. These OT devices were isolated from the IT interconnected systems used for applications, storage, or data transmission. To compromise OT systems, a bad actor would have to compromise an employee or gain physical access, a nearly impossible task for a foreign actor and a risky proposition for anyone else.

As industries rely more on connected OT devices to incorporate efficiencies and visibility into operations, there is an increased risk of cyberattacks. Unfortunately, there is little standardization of security controls in the OT environment.

The complex converged IT/OT environments are often implemented and then neglected. Stringent uptime requirements create a situation where vulnerabilities are rarely patched, creating ample opportunities for compromise.

A scenario where bad actors launch attacks targeting medical devices, industrial control systems, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices in industrial environments is a real possibility. Their objective goes beyond exfiltrating data; they want to disrupt daily lives and incite panic. The weaponization of OT via cyberattacks will allow real-world attacks that would cause food supply disruption, fuel shortages, water supply infiltration, transportation confusion, and power grid failure.

The result would be disastrous and potentially fatal. The costs of such attacks, beyond the human toll, would reach well into the billions of dollars. Litigation, employee compensation, insurance and a negative reputation will create significant challenges for various industries.

Organizations need to develop security frameworks that clearly define roles and responsibilities, asset identification/management, access, risk management, and incident response. It is imperative that organizations address these security deficiencies sooner rather than later. Mitigating risks by implementing proper security controls and preparing to recover from the inevitable attack is critical. The time to act is now before it is too late.

headshot of Jarrett Morgan

Jarrett Morgan, CISSP, PMP, ACE

As Mead & Hunt’s Technology Market Leader, Jarrett leverages a unique combination of leadership, vision, and creativity to introduce process improvements, streamline operations, and lead enterprise projects to completion. Jarrett enjoys running trails, working on the family farm, and flying drones. He’s also involved in local outreach programs that teach students programming and robotics skills and is a member of Tennessee Task Force One, an urban search and rescue team.

Linkedin Envelope Readme
PrevPrevious
NextNext

Most Popular

Mead & Hunt’s 2025 Scholarship Winners
June 16, 2025
Engineering Camp McCoy: The Triangle That Trained an Army
June 13, 2025
New Report Shows Economic Impact of US Commercial Service Airports
May 14, 2025
Jetsetters and Stargazers Welcome: Jackson Hole Airport Achieves DarkSky Certification
May 14, 2025

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Markets
  • Services
  • Portfolio
  • News
  • About
  • Careers
  • Home
  • Markets
  • Services
  • Portfolio
  • News
  • About
  • Careers

Useful Links

  • Ebids
  • Corporate Responsibility
  • Equipment & Parts
  • GSA Schedules Program
  • Government Contract Vehicles
  • Policy for Third-Party Recruiters
  • Transparency in Coverage
  • Ebids
  • Corporate Responsibility
  • Equipment & Parts
  • GSA Schedules Program
  • Government Contract Vehicles
  • Policy for Third-Party Recruiters
  • Transparency in Coverage

Get in touch

  • Apply Today
  • Contact Us
  • Locations
  • Title VI
  • Apply Today
  • Contact Us
  • Locations
  • Title VI

Connect with us

Linkedin Facebook Instagram Vimeo

© 2025 Mead & Hunt, Inc. All rights reserved.

[uc-privacysettings] | Privacy & CCPA Policy | Do Not Sell | Site Map
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Read full privacy policy
ACCEPTREJECTSETTINGS
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo