Keep The Line Moving: A Fireside Chat on Cybersecurity for Manufacturing and Critical Infrastructure

Manufacturers have been the most attacked industry in the world for five years running, and most of the companies carrying that risk don't have a security team. They're the 60 to 400 person shops that machine, mold, coat, and assemble for a larger customer, usually with one IT generalist and a firewall. This event is for them, and for anyone else around Kansas City who is responsible for something that can't afford to stop running.

It's a moderated conversation rather than a presentation. We'll talk the most current cybersecurity threats targeting plants, utilities, hospitals and higher-eds. We will discuss how an attack usually starts, what tends to break first, what the opening hours look like from the inside, and what a company of 200 people can realistically do about any of it. There are no slides and nobody is selling anything. After about 45 minutes we'll open it up to questions from the room.

Who you'll hear from
Madison Horn is Chief Advisor for National Security and Critical Infrastructure at WWT. She has spent fifteen years working across critical infrastructure and regulated industries, including global incident response and security strategy, and has run for federal office twice.

Jake Nocon is Director of Information Security at Tesla, where he helped build the team that investigates insider threats and prevents incidents at manufacturing scale. Before Tesla he was a Special Agent with NCIS and a security leader at Uber.

Brian Studenski is VP, Business Information Security Officer, at U.S. Bank, where he is a recognized cybersecurity subject matter expert and proven leader in cyber risk management, regulatory compliance, and business-aligned security strategy.

Nick Gicinto is the founder of Cyber 429. He's a former CIA officer who built insider threat and intelligence programs at Uber, Tesla, and Chainlink Labs before starting a security operations company for the kinds of organizations most providers price out.

Who should come
Owners and operations leaders in manufacturing, critical infrastructure, and technology. People running utilities, water districts, health systems, and logistics operations. IT directors, OT and controls engineers, and the generalists who end up owning security at companies without a CISO. Economic development staff, insurers, and lenders who work with these companies. Faculty and students from area colleges are welcome as well.

You don't need a security background to get something out of it.

Details
Tuesday, October 6, 2026. Doors open at 4:30, the conversation starts at 5:00, and we'll finish by 6:30. It's at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, home of Sporting KC. Food and drinks are provided, so come straight from work if that's easier.

Admission is free because U.S. Bank and Cyber 429 are covering the cost along with support from INE and Enterprise-KC. Space is limited to 150 people, so please register if you plan to come.

Questions: info@cyber429.com