Cybersecurity expert: AI could leave our operational technology vulnerable. What can we do about it?

The use of AI could expose critical operational technology to cybersecurity vulnerabilities. How can we protect the systems that support our daily life? 

Operational technology networks (OT) run the infrastructure that supports our daily life – such as train networks or water and energy supply systems. OT networks are vulnerable to cyber attacks, and hackers don’t need to seize full control to cause havoc. Simply freezing OT systems at companies and public organisations caused billions of dollars of damage in the 2017 Petya and WannaCry attacks.  

Professor Mikko Kiviharju’s research group is studying the vulnerabilities of AI in Operational Technology. How could hackers abuse AI in OT systems to gain access or shut down systems? And how can organisations protect against attacks on their operational technology? 

“A hacker doesn’t need to make trains crash to cause chaos. All they need to do is stop the trains from moving in the first place. Cybersecurity has focused on stopping hackers from taking control of systems, but there’s still vulnerability from hackers being able to turn our systems off. Incorporating AI could increase this threat in ways we do not yet understand.”  

Background: 

Professor Mikko Kiviharju has two decades of experience in cybersecurity, both as a researcher and as a cybersecurity scientist in the Finnish military. He is now researching the opportunities that AI offers adversaries to access and disable operational technology.  

Areas of expertise:  

• Cyber security, especially of operational technology systems 
• Hacking attacks by nation-state affiliated groups 
• Artificial intelligence and its impact on cyber security 

https://research.aalto.fi/en/persons/mikko-kiviharju