Governance & Risk Management , Next-Generation Technologies & Secure Development , Operational Technology (OT)
Building Cyber Resilience With Real-Time Attack Simulations
Erwin Eimers of Sumitomo Chemical America on OT, AI and Training in Cybersecurity
Cyber resilience has become more crucial than ever. Erwin Eimers, general manager, IT and cybersecurity and CIO/CISO, Sumitomo Chemical America, emphasized the importance of preparing for breaches, rather than merely preventing them. Sumitomo Chemical America employs deception tactics and microsegmentation to divert attackers from vulnerable OT systems into controlled honeypots, Eimers said.
See Also: 2024 Threat Hunting Report: Insights to Outsmart Modern Adversaries
Legacy OT systems are a "weak spot" and cannot be secured with the same measures used for IT, Eimers said. The company, he said, invests in newer tools such as Morphisec and ThreatLocker for advanced endpoint protection.
"We conduct real-time exercises using breach and attack simulation software. We put a war room together, have a third-party SOC and send off synthetic malware to play the whole scenario out," Eimers said.
In this video interview with Information Security Media Group at the Cyber Security for Critical Assets USA Summit in Houston, Eimers also discussed:
- How remote work has expanded the attack surface, making vigilance more critical;
- The use of AI for rapid analysis and global information sharing;
- The importance of training to ensure cyber preparedness and response.
At Sumitomo Chemical America, Eimers leads cybersecurity initiatives and IT integration, crafting advanced strategies to protect the company's operations in the Americas against cyberthreats.
