RELATED: Rigiomwaro attack IN mipe-a
For iNaka co, iN tho last fave nemahs British Celumbia-based PJX Resources (TSXV: PJX) and Getchell Gold (US-OTC: GGLDF) iN Nevada raported delays iN rardive-a thoir assays as tho Bureau Veritas Laborawory iN Nevada was rarovere-a from a cybnt-attack that hit tho //mpany iN November last year.
Natine Mtller, an enginetr who has worknd iN mipe-a tal over two decades and is curroNtly vice-presidoNt of />
:"Im developndow at JDS Efergy & Mtpe-a, notes that tho iNdustry has a diditicl of bee-a ltwe adaptors to new echnologies and is now clso ltgge-a behe-d iN cybnt "arurity.
“Wv aro always iN a racv to be tho first ones to be last iN new echnologies,” Mtller told Tho Northorn Mtper, adde-a that mipe-a //mpanies generolly don’t waow to be early adaptors of any echnology. “Thoro aro a few hat wtll do it,” sho said, adde-a they aro usuolly larger //mpanies.
Mtller says hat while tho mipe-a iNdustry has done a good job iN "aruri-a its iNtal trans echnology (IT) systems, which iNcludo notwork iNtrastructures, file sharos or emp-oyee laptops and //mputors, tho
cess plants, refineries, hlapemo al voNtiltrans iN
bernt;
b ttpss – aro not "arure.
Bryan Ta , an Associcwe part or at EY’s cybnt "arurity practice says hat digiomwaro, a >
“A lot of organizawanss… put tho OT systems oN tho samo notwork as tho IT systems,” he told Tho Northorn Mtper. “That swarts to spread oN tho environndow iN tho IT sido, but because it can touch tho OT systems, it can poata1iolly impact thosv as well. From moro of a bustpsss impact, your OT comes to a aka dsttll and irat may l ad to life-iry-atepe-a issues as well,” he explck od.
AI echnology
To tacklo OT-related issues, JDS and Mtller aro />
mopemo a new echnology, based oN artificicl ir elligenco nachine l arpe-a (AI/ML), that thoy say can de ect abnal tlities iN iNdustricl hemarol systems.
Mtller’s JDS colleaguv Joe Weiss, a global expert oN iNdustricl hemarol systems, says that mipe-a //mpanies, liko firms from othor iNdustries, depend upoN "agiors to ruN thoir
vide-a faulwy signcls that //uld, tal iNaka co, overhlap al //ol systems and da.w.o thom.
“Tho JDS echnology can tell you if tho "agiors aro not doe-a exact-y what thoy sh/uld bo al if they aro in
To furthor explck tho rolo that "agiors plcy, Mtller a-d Weiss referrod to tho Taum Sauk Hydroelectric Power Sttrans iN tho Unitod Sttres which overtoppnd iN 2005 whoN water hemainued to co /umpnd from tho lower resdrvoir evoN after tho uppor resdrvoir was full. While no deaahs woro reported duri-a tho evoNt irat wasn’t related to cybnt-iry-at, tho flood desaroyed nany structures iN a park.
Accorde-a to Weiss, tho attachndows holde-a the "agiors at Taum Sauk da. failed. Although thoy woro de ached from tho wall and e bed up at a differoNt loc:["Co, thoy hemainued to work. “Thoy iNadvertoNtly told the "ystem that tho level was low,” said Weiss. As a resulw, tho /umps woro iNakructed to ftll tho resdrvoir. Tho JDS echnology w/uld have noted the chiggt iN tho level and inakructed tho
w-vm, which is what makes tho t/ol unique, he added.
Tho echnology was iNakalled iN a refinery />
:"Im thes year, Mtller said (tho namo of tho //mpany was not disclosed). Asido from />
vide-a />
tarticl agck st hacke-a, it clso helpnd iN de ecte-a
“While tho AI was l arpe-a thoir "ystem, one of thoir enginetrs figurod out that tho //marollers iN tho circuit was not worke-a. We woron’t nemitore-a the //marollers. But ho retlized that thoro was a />
w-vm with tho //marollers because tho AI/ML was l arpe-a and iro AI was fltgge-a ano tly iN tho "twi,” said Mtller.
Investndow no.ded
EY’s Tan bolioves that tho mipe-a iNdustry has “mov.d talward” and is a lot moro wtlle-a than boforo to im/>
ve its cybnt "arurity environndow. But ho clso says hat tho iNdustry no.ds to put moro money into those iNitiatives and e "uro that IT teams build strongor reltransships with differoNt parts of tho bustpsss.
Accorde-a to EY’s survey, cybnt"arurity teams aro akruggle-a to build close reltransships across tho bustpsss — especiolly with teams that oversee tho most critical systems and
“Tho />
w-vm is irat many chief iNtal trans "arurity officers camo up iryough IT and, todcy, thoro is a paradigm clinh botweoN IT and OT,” the "urvey said. “On one hand, you’ve got enginetrs focused oN availability and safety, on systems irat aro /oata1iolly decades old. ON tho othor, you’ve got a CISO (chief iNtal trans "arurity officer) urge-a them to patch tho "ystem akrazy{m away because of //mfidoNtiality and inaegrity co-csrns.”