# Federal Leaders Highlight OT Cybersecurity Risks

At the Cyber Leaders Exchange 2026, federal and industry experts warned that convergence between information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) is increasing cyber risks to critical infrastructure, potentially disrupting essential services and threatening public safety. The article cites a projected **$151 billion IT-OT convergence market by 2030** and identifies demand for OT cybersecurity, threat detection, secure system architecture, third-party risk management, and cross-functional workforce capabilities. It describes a market trend, not a specific solicitation or contract award.

- Procurement teams can use the identified capability areas to inform requirements for critical-infrastructure cybersecurity acquisitions, including OT protection, threat detection, secure architecture, and supplier risk management.
- Contractors offering these capabilities may find growing demand as organizations address risks created by connected IT and OT environments; workforce capabilities that bridge cyber and operational functions are also highlighted.
- Because no procurement opportunity or deadline is identified, the signal supports market positioning and requirements planning rather than a specific bid action.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology, Public Safety
**Topics:** Cybersecurity, Digital Infrastructure
**Published:** October 13, 2026

### Government Entities
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
- Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

### Vendors
- AppGate (Event sponsor)
- General Dynamics Information Technology ()

### Key Quotes
> But I think one of the biggest threats is that our organizations that do this work very well day to day, they may not have a complete understanding of the entire risk across their operations.
> — Scott Bowman, Technical Lead for Cyber-Physical Systems at Idaho National Laboratory

> These changes are representing true operational sabotage.
> — Rina Rakipi, Operations Coordinator for Threat Hunting at CISA

### Sources
- [
        Cyber Leaders Exchange 2026: Federal, industry cyber experts on critical infrastructure face growing cyber risks as IT and OT converge - Federal News Network](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/cybersecurity/2026/10/cyber-leaders-exchange-critical-infrastructure-face-growing-cyber-risks-as-it-and-ot-converge) - Federal News Network