GrayMatter's emPOWERUP Podcast hosts BlastWave CEO Tom Sego to discuss how a new partnership between GrayMatter and BlastWave enables industrial organizations to better protect their physical plant systems from cybersecurity threats. Sego said research shows malicious actors are, unfortunately, shifting their focus to manufacturing.

"In 2022 manufacturing surpassed financial services to be the most-attacked industry," Sego said. "The average ransom payment in manufacturing is now exceeding an average of $2 million, versus the industry average, which is around $900,000."

The GrayMatter-BlastWave partnership emerged from the realization that major manufacturers need to identify third-party cybersecurity vendors that demonstrate a deep background working with industrial technology systems and specialize in protecting operational technology.

OT cybersecurity tech and strategies discussed during the podcast episode include:

- Phishing-resistant MFA (multi-factor authentication)
- Micro-segmentation
- Software-defined perimeter
- Cybersecurity assessment