The Weakest Link in a Global Life Sciences Company? People. With Dr. Kevin Jones | 33

What does it actually take to secure a global life sciences company — and what happens when the weakest link isn't a system, it's a human? In this episode, Ciaran and James sit down with Dr. Kevin Jones, Group CISO of Bayer and honorary professor at Cardiff University, to discuss cybersecurity across critical industries. Kevin shares his expertise on human behaviour in security, the growing impact of AI on both attacks and defences, and the challenges of protecting complex, real-world systems.

Highlights:

Research, human factors and cyber innovation

Kevin’s research into industrial systems and human behaviour, alongside his work on cyber innovation, shows how security is evolving.

• Cyber Innovation Hub
• Kevin's Academic Publications
• Human factors research: Exploring the role of work identity and work locus of control in information security awareness | A New Hope: Human-Centric Cybersecurity Research Embedded Within Organizations
• Embedding a Human-Centric Approach Into a Global Cyber Security Program
• Industrial control system research: A survey of cyber security management in industrial control systems | Automated Asset Discovery in Industrial Control Systems - Exploring the Problem
• RITICS

State-backed threats and critical infrastructure risk

The growing reality of geopolitical cyber activity targeting essential sectors and large-scale systems.

• PRC State-Sponsored Actors Compromise and Maintain Persistent Access to U.S. Critical Infrastructure
• Critical Infrastructure at Risk | Neuberger: Defining espionage vs. pre-positioning for attacks is key to battling state actors
• Increasing attacks on field-level ICS devices highlight need for deeper visibility and granular OT security controls
• Protecting critical national infrastructure and interests from cyber threats
• ICS Community of Interest (COI)

AI changing both sides of the fight

How AI is reshaping the threat landscape, from more convincing attacks to faster exploitation of vulnerabilities.

• Detecting dangerous AI is essential in the deepfake era | Deepfake attack: 'Many people could have been cheated'
• Security Challenges Rise as QR Code and AI-Generated Phishing Proliferate
• Commercial AI Models Show Rapid Gains in Vulnerability Research
• OSS Supply Chain Threats | Predictions for Open Source Security in 2025: AI, State Actors, and Supply Chains | The hidden security risks of open source AI

Where AI meets real-world systems

How AI is starting to intersect with physical environments and industrial operations.

• Unleashing the Potential of AI | Bayer Global | How AI is Reshaping Agricultural Innovation | Bayer Global
• Digital twins: The next frontier of factory optimization | What Is a Digital Twin?
• What is a Manufacturing Execution System (MES)?
• What is IT/OT Convergence? Everything You Need to Know | IT/OT convergence in scaling business operations
• AI Insights: Agentic AI | Agentic AI, explained
• Developer’s Guide to AI Agent Protocols
• OECD AI Principles overview | AI regulation: a pro-innovation approach | AI Risk Management Framework | NIST

Additional resources:

• Black Box Thinking: The Surprising Truth About Success - Matthew Syed
• Supply Chain Resilience: The Path to Antifragility | Gartner

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Contact:

• Have questions or comments? Email us at cyberleadersnetwork@sans.org