Together, cyber and physical assets represent a significant amount of risk to physical security and cybersecurity – each can be targeted, separately or simultaneously, to result in compromised systems and/or infrastructure. When physical security and cybersecurity divisions operate in siloes, they lack a holistic view of security threats targeting their enterprise. As a result, successful attacks are more likely to occur and can lead to impacts such as compromise of sensitive or proprietary information, economic damage, disruption of National Critical Functions (NCFs), or loss of life.

Many of us take critical infrastructure for granted in our everyday lives. We turn on a tap, flip a switch, push a button, and water, light, and heat are all readily available. But it is important to remember that computerized systems manage critical infrastructure facilities, making them vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

The recent ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline is an example of the new types of threats. In addition, any number of physical attacks is also possibilities. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the security challenges of protecting critical infrastructure?