In this episode of The CISO’s Guide to OT Security, host Chris McLaughlin takes listeners on a twenty‑year journey through some of the most significant cyber incidents to ever impact industrial control systems. He frames the discussion around four major categories of threats—nation‑state attacks, ransomware spillover, supply‑chain compromises, and insider threats—each revealing how vulnerable operational technology environments have become.

He begins with nation‑state operations, recounting landmark events such as the Stuxnet sabotage of Iran’s Natanz facility, the coordinated attacks against Ukraine’s power grid in 2015 and 2016, and the TRITON malware targeting safety systems at a Saudi petrochemical plant. He also highlights long‑term infiltration campaigns by Russian and Chinese groups seeking persistent access to U.S. critical infrastructure.

The narrative then shifts to ransomware, illustrating how criminal groups—initially focused on IT—started causing widespread OT outages. Incidents like NotPetya, LockerGoga at Norsk Hydro, and the DarkSide attack that led Colonial Pipeline to halt fuel operations show how tightly IT and OT environments are intertwined. These events underscore how even indirect IT compromises can ripple into physical operations.

McLaughlin also explores the growing risk of third‑party and supply‑chain compromises. From the Dragonfly campaign’s Trojanized ICS software updates to attacks on vendors supporting utilities and wind energy operators, he describes how adversaries increasingly exploit trusted relationships to bypass strong perimeters and reach industrial environments.

Finally, he walks through real‑world insider incidents—cases where employees, contractors, or former staff misused privileged access to damage systems, manipulate processes, or profit personally. These stories serve as a reminder that not all threats originate outside the organization.

The episode closes by emphasizing the importance of recognizing these major threat trends and understanding how attackers gain initial access. This sets the stage for the next installment, where he will break down attacker methods and the controls that OT teams can put in place to reduce risk.