Cybersecurity in Steel: Hardening Operations and Qualifying in the Supply Chain
11 November 2026 • 10–11 a.m.
“Cybersecurity has moved from an IT concern to a condition of doing business in steel. This session covers both ends of that shift, the plant floor and the purchase order. Nathan Smith of Gray Matter Systems examines why operational technology has become such an attractive target, with aging infrastructure, unmanaged assets and limited visibility letting attackers achieve maximum impact with minimal effort. He walks the most common attack paths in modern steel operations and the practical steps that improve asset visibility, change management and automation security. Doreen Gonzalez-Gaboyan and Jan Fourman of Industry Workforce Solutions address the commercial side, explaining how customer cybersecurity expectations for suppliers are evolving and offering a road map for assessing readiness, prioritizing improvements, and demonstrating compliance using existing standards. Together they answer two questions steel producers and their suppliers now face: how do we make the plant a harder target, and how do we prove it?”
Organized by: AIST Digitalization Applications Technology Committee