Critical Infrastructure
Cybersecurity Speaker
Mark Lynd is a US Army Ranger veteran, 5x CIO/CISO, and author of Cyber War: One Scenario — a book specifically about coordinated attacks on American critical infrastructure. He brings a national security perspective that no other cybersecurity speaker can match. Fee range: $15,000–$50,000+.
The Power Grid. The Water System. The Communications Network. All Under Attack.
Critical infrastructure is the most consequential attack surface in cybersecurity. Energy, water, transportation, and communications systems are interconnected, increasingly digitized, and specifically targeted by nation-state adversaries. A successful attack doesn't just cost money — it costs lives.
Mark Lynd wrote Cyber War: One Scenario specifically about coordinated attacks on American critical infrastructure. As a US Army veteran (3rd Ranger Battalion, 82nd Airborne) and 5x CIO/CISO, he approaches critical infrastructure security from both the national security and enterprise operational perspectives.
His keynotes for critical infrastructure audiences cover the real threat landscape, the ICS/OT security challenges that IT-focused security programs miss, and the organizational and governance changes that actually improve infrastructure resilience.
Critical Infrastructure Keynote Topics
Cyber War: The Threat to American Critical Infrastructure
Based on his book, Mark presents a realistic scenario of coordinated attacks on American energy, water, and communications infrastructure. Not a theoretical exercise — a practical examination of known vulnerabilities, documented attack patterns, and the cascading effects of infrastructure failure.
Best for: Defense conferences, homeland security events, critical infrastructure summits, government technology forums
Length: 45–90 minutes
IT/OT Convergence: The Security Gap That Nation-States Exploit
Operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS) were designed for reliability, not security. As they connect to IT networks and the internet, they create attack surfaces that traditional security programs don't cover. Mark covers the convergence challenge and practical approaches to securing both environments.
Best for: Energy sector conferences, manufacturing security events, utility associations, ICS/SCADA forums
Length: 45–60 minutes
Critical Infrastructure Resilience: Beyond Compliance
NERC CIP, NIST CSF, and CISA guidelines create a compliance baseline. Resilience requires more. Mark covers the gap between compliance and actual resilience, the tabletop exercise approach to testing infrastructure response plans, and the governance changes that improve real-world outcomes.
Best for: Utility associations, government technology conferences, critical infrastructure forums
Length: 45–60 minutes
Why Critical Infrastructure Events Book Mark Lynd
US Army Ranger — 3rd Ranger Battalion, 82nd Airborne — national security perspective
Author of Cyber War: One Scenario — specifically about critical infrastructure attacks
5x CIO/CISO — operational experience managing ICS/OT environments
#1 ranked global cybersecurity thought leader — Thinkers360 2022–2023
150+ tabletop exercises including critical infrastructure scenarios
Current advisory work — advises enterprises on OT/ICS security at Netsync
Frequently Asked Questions
What critical infrastructure cybersecurity topics does Mark Lynd cover?
Mark covers nation-state threats to critical infrastructure, ICS/OT security and the IT/OT convergence challenge, energy sector cybersecurity, water system vulnerabilities, transportation security, the CISA guidelines and NIST framework for critical infrastructure, and the national security implications of infrastructure attacks. His book Cyber War: One Scenario specifically explores coordinated attacks on American critical infrastructure.
What is Mark Lynd's background in critical infrastructure security?
Mark is a US Army veteran (3rd Ranger Battalion, 82nd Airborne), 5x CIO/CISO, and author of Cyber War: One Scenario — a book specifically about coordinated attacks on American critical infrastructure. He advises enterprises on critical infrastructure security at Netsync and has facilitated tabletop exercises for critical infrastructure organizations.
Can Mark Lynd speak at a critical infrastructure or energy sector conference?
Yes. Mark speaks at critical infrastructure conferences, energy sector events, water utility associations, transportation security forums, and government/defense events. His military background and Cyber War book give him unique credibility with national security audiences.