Bio:

Presently the only female CPSO for a major industrial, Megan is a security executive with a focus on industrial control systems security, critical infrastructure protection, and risk analysis. Megan drives the product security strategy and program for Schneider Electric’s Energy Management business.

Prior to Schneider Electric, Megan was the Global Director of Product Safety and Security for Rockwell Automation, Product Security Leader for GE Global Research and lead for the GE Product Security Incident Response Team. While working in the public sector, she served as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Coordinator and Special Assistant for Homeland Security Projects within the Governor’s Offices of Tim Kaine and Bob McDonnell.

Megan brings a unique perspective to the security community, based on her diverse security background, with an interest in utilizing proven concepts from traditional critical infrastructure protection and emergency management foundations, such as Incident Command System and preparedness, and applying those to cyber, in particular for industrial control systems incident response.

She is currently the Chairperson for the ISA Global Cybersecurity Alliance. She is also leading a community-driven effort known as Incident Command System for Industrial Control Systems (ICS4ICS), which seeks to establish a common language for responding to cyber incidents and provide avenues for mutual assistance between organizations. Lastly, she is the Co-Chairperson of the Department of Homeland Security’s Control Systems Working Group (CSWG).

Megan has served on numerous boards, including Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Security Analysis and Risk Management Association (SARMA), Department of Homeland Security’s Control Systems Security Working Group (CSWG), Trusted Computing Group (TCG), and Virginia Aviation Security Advisory Council (VASAC). She is also a returning 2022 Program Chair for the RSA Conference, “Secure All The Things” track.

Megan holds a bachelor’s degree in homeland security and emergency preparedness as well as a master’s in public administration, both from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Abstract:

While work on machine learning and AI has been going on for some time now, AI has been propelled center stage with popular AI tools such as ChatGPT. Suddenly the possibilities for AI seem to be forefront in everyone’s mind. The trends and implications of AI will be discussed regarding what AI may represent in the way of new threats as well as how it could be used to augment security in industrial control system environments, including a short summary of Schneider Electric’s AI collaboration with CEA to create focused attention on cyber-attacks on OT systems.