Full Report
The sixth conference on industrial cybersecurity organized by Kaspersky Lab was held on September 19-21 in Sochi, Russia. This year’s theme was ‘Industrial cybersecurity: opportunities and challenges in digital transformation’.
Analysis Summary
# Industry News: Kaspersky Hosts 6th Annual Industrial Cybersecurity Conference in Sochi
## Summary
Kaspersky Lab convened its sixth international conference on industrial cybersecurity, focusing on the intersection of digital transformation and operational technology (OT) security. The event served as a platform for global experts to address the evolving threat landscape as industrial control systems (ICS) become increasingly connected.
## Key Details
- **Date:** September 19-21, 2018
- **Companies Involved:** Kaspersky Lab, various global industrial firms, and international cybersecurity experts.
- **Category:** Industry Event / Market Analysis / Thought Leadership
## The Story
The conference, titled "Industrial cybersecurity: opportunities and challenges in digital transformation," highlighted the tension between the push for Industrial IoT (IIoT) efficiency and the inherent risks of connecting legacy infrastructure. Key themes included the vulnerabilities introduced by the convergence of IT and OT, the rise of targeted attacks on critical infrastructure, and the necessity of "security by design" in industrial hardware. Experts from around the globe shared case studies on incident response within power grids, manufacturing plants, and smart city infrastructure.
## Business Impact
### For the Companies Involved
- **Kaspersky Lab:** Cemented its role as a primary thought leader in the ICS/OT security space, particularly within the EMEA and APAC regions.
- **Participating Industrial Firms:** Gained access to intelligence regarding specialized threats that could disrupt production lines or cause physical damage to assets.
### For Competitors
- Competitors like Claroty, Dragos, and Nozomi Networks face a market where Kaspersky has established deep roots in the research and forensic analysis of industrial malware (e.g., Triton, Industroyer).
### For Customers
- End users in the industrial sector are forced to bridge the cultural and technical gap between their IT and OT departments to implement the holistic strategies discussed at the event.
### For the Market
- The conference underscored the transition of industrial security from a niche concern to a multi-billion dollar boardroom priority driven by digital transformation initiatives.
## Technical Implications
The event prioritized the discussion of "Cyber-Immune" systems—architectures where security is integrated into the microkernel of the OS rather than added as a perimeter layer. There was a technical focus on the vulnerability of PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) and the need for deep packet inspection (DPI) in industrial protocols.
## Strategic Analysis
- **Market Positioning:** Kaspersky is positioning itself as the bridge between traditional antivirus and specialized industrial protection, leveraging its ICS CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) as a premier intelligence source.
- **Competitive Advantage:** Direct access to telemetry from industrial environments gives Kaspersky a unique data set for predictive threat modeling.
- **Challenges:** Ongoing geopolitical scrutiny faced by Kaspersky in North American markets creates a bifurcated market where their influence is strongest in non-Western regions.
## Industry Reactions
- **Analyst Opinions:** Analysts generally view this conference as a critical barometer for the maturity of the OT security market, noting that the conversation has shifted from "awareness" to "complex implementation."
- **Expert Commentary:** Attendees emphasized that "air-gapping" is a dead concept; the focus must now be on resilience and visibility.
## Future Outlook
- **Predictions:** Expect a surge in the adoption of AI-driven anomaly detection within industrial networks as human operators become overwhelmed by the volume of IoT data.
- **What to watch for:** The emergence of international regulatory standards (like IEC 62443) becoming mandatory for industrial vendors.
## For Security Professionals
Practitioners should focus on cross-training in industrial protocols (Modbus, PROFINET) and prioritize asset discovery. The conference reinforces that security professionals can no longer treat OT environments as "black boxes" that fall outside the scope of the Security Operations Center (SOC).