Ampyx Cyber Blog
The Intersection of Regulation & Resilience
Protocol Converters: The 2023 SAR Just Got Validated (Again)
The 2023 NERC SAR asked whether protocol converters belong inside CIP-002. A new disclosure of 22 CVEs in serial-to-Ethernet hardware, set against a decade of advisories across the category, settles the question. The categorization debate now has its empirical record, and asset owners have CIP-007 R2 and CIP-013 work to do that does not wait for the standard.
Is Something Weird Happening on Your System?
Learn how critical infrastructure operators can spot the early signs of cyber intrusions directly from the control room. Drawing on the latest NERC and CISA guidance, this updated guide details specific physical hardware, workstation, and SCADA anomalies to watch for. Empower your frontline staff with a proactive "See Something, Say Something" cyber defense strategy tailored for OT environments.
Claude Mythos and the OT Threat Horizon: What Utility Operators Need to Know Now
Anthropic's Claude Mythos can autonomously discover zero-day vulnerabilities across every major OS and browser, and the same codebases run in OT/SCADA environments. This post breaks down why Mythos-class AI exploitation tools directly implicate utility operators, which NERC CIP obligations are already in play, and what actions defenders should take before the patch window closes.
Four Years In: What NERC’s Cyber Security Incident Reporting Data Tells Us (and What It Doesn’t)
In the world of Bulk Electric System (BES) cybersecurity, signals of risk don’t always arrive with alarms blaring or malware lighting up dashboards. Sometimes, the signs are quieter—brute force login failures, odd port scans, or a sudden spike in account lockouts. The annual CIP-008-6 report, filed March 21, 2025 by NERC, shines a small but telling light on just such signals.
Proactive Cyber Defense: Recognizing Cyber Intrusions for Critical Infrastructure System Operators
Leveraging Guidance from the Electric & Water Sectors and Broadening for all Critical Infrastructure. In an era marked by rapid digital transformation and increasing cyber threats, whether electric, water and wastewater systems, chemical, or any other of the critical infrastructure sectors, it is imperative for control system operators to be well-versed in recognizing and responding to cyber intrusions.
20 years of NERC CIP - What's next?
Two industry veterans who cultivated NERC CIP over the past 20 years discuss how it all started, and what’s next for electric power industry security regulations. Patrick C. Miller, one of the first NERC CIP auditors in the country, and Carter Manucy, a utility IT/OT Security Director, talk about the regulation that changed the electric sector cybersecurity landscape forever.
How it started, where it's going: 20 years of NERC CIP
Two key people who helped start NERC CIP 20 years ago talk about how and why it came together, and where it could go next. Patrick C. Miller, one of the first NERC CIP auditors in the country, and Earl Shockley, a former leader at NERC, talk about this momentous regulation that changed the electric sector cybersecurity landscape forever.