Robert M. Lee to Testify on Cyber Threats to Water and What’s Needed to Secure OT in the Water Sector

DRAGOS CEO & FOUNDER ROBERT M. LEE TO ADDRESS U.S. CONGRESSIONAL SUBCOMMITTEE ON CYBERSECURITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION ON SECURING OPERATIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE U.S. WATER SECTOR

SUMMARY: Dragos CEO and Founder Robert M. Lee has been invited to testify at the hearing before the U.S Congressional Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection on February 6, 2024. Dragos, Inc., is the global leader in cybersecurity for industrial controls systems (ICS)/operational technology (OT) environments.

DETAILS: The purpose of this hearing is to discuss threats to water and wastewater ICS/OT systems in the U.S. that have the potential to disrupt operations and pose safety risks and examine the steps needed to secure operational technology in the water sector. Witnesses will be by invitation only.

WHAT: A Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection hearing entitled, “Securing Operational Technology: A Deep Dive into the Water Sector.”

WHEN: Tuesday, February 6, 2024 @ 10:00 a.m. EST

WHERE: 310 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 

Livestream: This event will be streamed live here, and on YouTube.

BACKGROUND: Lee first testified before Congress in 2018 as Dragos, Inc. tracked five state actor cyber groups that targeted industrial networks specifically. At the time, he noted that while alarming, there was time to address these issues if we worked diligently. Lee returned in 2021 and 2023 to testify about the rise in state actors and criminal groups targeting critical infrastructure with more urgency as Dragos now tracks over 20 such groups. Today, water utilities and other critical infrastructure organizations are facing intensified challenges stemming from the current geopolitical environment. They find themselves on the front lines, often with very limited resources, needing to defend against both state actor cyber groups and criminal groups.

ABOUT LEE: Robert is a recognized authority on industrial cybersecurity. He is CEO and co-founder of Dragos, a global technology leader in cybersecurity for industrial controls systems (ICS)/operational technology (OT) environments. 

Robert also serves on the Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee as the Vice Chair of the DOE’s Grid Resilience for National Security Subcommittee, and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s subcommittees on Cyber Resilience for the Oil & Gas and Electricity communities. He has testified to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on policy related to critical infrastructure cyber threats. He is a member on the Reserve Forces Policy Board, Office of the Secretary of Defense; and also serves on the board of the National Cryptologic Foundation. 

Robert began his pioneering work in ICS/OT cybersecurity as a U.S. Air Force Cyber Warfare Operations Officer tasked to the National Security Agency. For the SANS Institute, he built some of the industrial community’s first cybersecurity courses. Today he is a SANS Fellow.

SC Media named Robert Security Executive of the Year 2022. Earlier in his career he helped lead the investigation into the 2015 attack on Ukraine’s power grid, the first time an electric system was taken down by a cyberattack. Robert’s work has been featured in the book Sandworm and on 60 Minutes.