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Episode 126

OT Cybersecurity: Is the Purdue Model Still Useful?

· 48:09 · Host: Craig and Dino

Is the Purdue Model outdated, or simply misunderstood? In this episode, Dino sits down with Ken Kully (Rockwell Automation) for a candid, practitioner-level conversation about what the Purdue Model still gets right.

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Chapters

  1. 00:00:00 — Intro + why this Purdue conversation matters now
  2. 00:01:00 — Ken’s background: from process environments to OT cyber delivery readiness
  3. 00:04:00 — The big question: has the Purdue Model outlived its usefulness?
  4. 00:07:00 — Framework vs. strict blueprint: “Purdue enough” in real plants
  5. 00:09:00 — IT/OT convergence: why it’s a people + process problem (not tech)
  6. 00:12:00 — The “silver tsunami” and why security UX fails on the plant floor
  7. 00:15:30 — MFA, shared logins, and why “security gets in the way” still shows up
  8. 00:18:00 — Legacy reality: Windows 98/7 boxes, vendor lock-in, and downtime economics
  9. 00:21:00 — Discovery first: diagrams, configs, and why documentation is always missing
  10. 00:23:30 — Purdue as a map: brokering traffic, one-up/one-down, and the “3.5” DMZ
  11. 00:26:00 — When devices try to “escape the box”: unexpected outbound comms + exposure risk
  12. 00:28:30 — Vendor/OEM access: the unmanaged laptop problem in OT
  13. 00:32:00 — Asset inventory as the unlock: you can’t defend what you don’t know exists
  14. 00:34:00 — Why IT often won’t “crawl the plant,” and what that means operationally
  15. 00:36:30 — Scale problem: 30 plants, 30 realities—standardize globally, execute locally
  16. 00:38:30 — The SI/OEM “third leg”: why trusted integrators are key to sustainable OT security
  17. 00:40:30 — Closing + crossover: continuing the discussion on Ken’s OT After Hours podcast

Show notes

Is the Purdue Model outdated, or simply misunderstood? In this episode, Dino sits down with Ken Kully (Rockwell Automation) for a candid, practitioner-level conversation about what the Purdue Model still gets right.

They discuss where it falls short in modern environments, and why “IT/OT convergence” remains more of a people-and-process challenge than a technology problem.

They break down the reality on the plant floor: long-lived legacy systems, inconsistent architectures across sites, limited maintenance windows, and the operational consequences of downtime.

The discussion also tackles the everyday friction points: MFA, shared operator accounts, unmanaged vendor laptops, and remote access “surprises”, and why you can’t improve OT security posture without a trustworthy asset inventory and segmentation that keeps systems “in their lane.”

Chapters:

  • (00:00:00) Intro + why this Purdue conversation matters now
  • (00:01:00) Ken’s background: from process environments to OT cyber delivery readiness
  • (00:04:00) The big question: has the Purdue Model outlived its usefulness?
  • (00:07:00) Framework vs. strict blueprint: “Purdue enough” in real plants
  • (00:09:00) IT/OT convergence: why it’s a people + process problem (not tech)
  • (00:12:00) The “silver tsunami” and why security UX fails on the plant floor
  • (00:15:30) MFA, shared logins, and why “security gets in the way” still shows up
  • (00:18:00) Legacy reality: Windows 98/7 boxes, vendor lock-in, and downtime economics
  • (00:21:00) Discovery first: diagrams, configs, and why documentation is always missing
  • (00:23:30) Purdue as a map: brokering traffic, one-up/one-down, and the “3.5” DMZ
  • (00:26:00) When devices try to “escape the box”: unexpected outbound comms + exposure risk
  • (00:28:30) Vendor/OEM access: the unmanaged laptop problem in OT
  • (00:32:00) Asset inventory as the unlock: you can’t defend what you don’t know exists
  • (00:34:00) Why IT often won’t “crawl the plant,” and what that means operationally
  • (00:36:30) Scale problem: 30 plants, 30 realities—standardize globally, execute locally
  • (00:38:30) The SI/OEM “third leg”: why trusted integrators are key to sustainable OT security
  • (00:40:30) Closing + crossover: continuing the discussion on Ken’s OT After Hours podcast

Links And Resources:


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About Industrial Cyber Security Insider

Industrial Cybersecurity Insider brings clarity to one of the most urgent gaps in manufacturing and critical infrastructure: the divide between IT and OT. Hosts Craig and Dino talk with plant leaders, engineers, and security practitioners about protecting industrial operations in the real world — practical conversations for the people responsible for keeping production running and secure.

See all 146 episodes of Industrial Cyber Security Insider →

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