Cognitive Readiness in OT Security: Human Performance Under Pressure
About This Session
Cyber disruptions in industrial environments rarely follow a clear path. Impact is uncertain, timelines shift, and threats evolve faster than teams can adjust. Most OT security strategies focus on tools and telemetry but overlook the human performance needed to detect, respond, and recover effectively.
This session introduces a cognitive readiness framework built on research in human factors and performance science. It shows how to prepare OT security teams to operate under stress, ambiguity, and fatigue. The framework draws from high-stakes domains where teams must coordinate quickly, adapt to changing conditions, and make decisions with limited information.
Attendees will learn how to reduce cognitive overload, improve situational awareness, and strengthen coordination during active disruptions. The session also explains how detection systems and workflows can either support or hinder human performance, and how to design them to enhance decision-making.
As adversarial AI increases threat complexity, human readiness becomes a strategic advantage. This talk offers a practical approach to building teams that respond with clarity, adapt to uncertainty, and recover with confidence.
This session introduces a cognitive readiness framework built on research in human factors and performance science. It shows how to prepare OT security teams to operate under stress, ambiguity, and fatigue. The framework draws from high-stakes domains where teams must coordinate quickly, adapt to changing conditions, and make decisions with limited information.
Attendees will learn how to reduce cognitive overload, improve situational awareness, and strengthen coordination during active disruptions. The session also explains how detection systems and workflows can either support or hinder human performance, and how to design them to enhance decision-making.
As adversarial AI increases threat complexity, human readiness becomes a strategic advantage. This talk offers a practical approach to building teams that respond with clarity, adapt to uncertainty, and recover with confidence.
Speaker
Margaret Cunningham
Technical Director Security & AI Strategy, Field CISO - Darktrace
Dr. Margaret Cunningham is the Director of Security & AI Strategy at Darktrace, where she advises on AI security strategy, innovation, data security, and risk governance.
Her expertise spans physical security, OT&E, AI, risk analytics, and behavioral modeling. Previously, she was the Principal Product Manager for Global Analytics at Forcepoint and Senior Staff Behavioral Engineer at Robinhood. Cunningham holds a PhD in applied experimental psychology and has 13 patents covering human-centric risk modeling, security persona development, and behavior-based threat detection.
Dr. Cunningham has spoken at major industry conferences, including RSA and Infosec, has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, CyberWire, and Dark Reading.
Her expertise spans physical security, OT&E, AI, risk analytics, and behavioral modeling. Previously, she was the Principal Product Manager for Global Analytics at Forcepoint and Senior Staff Behavioral Engineer at Robinhood. Cunningham holds a PhD in applied experimental psychology and has 13 patents covering human-centric risk modeling, security persona development, and behavior-based threat detection.
Dr. Cunningham has spoken at major industry conferences, including RSA and Infosec, has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, CyberWire, and Dark Reading.