systems and digital control of transit assets is critical to maintaining public confidence and ensuring systems function as intended. Transit agencies must take a holistic approach to cyber NIST has established well-known and accepted standards produced by many experts. The security goals for Information Technology (IT) and Operations Technology (OT) have been honed plementing NIST practices is a core component of a successful security program in the hacking " Maintaining safety systems and digital control of transit assets is critical to maintaining public confidence and ensuring systems function as intended. " " arms race. " Most people are familiar with basic IT requirements because routers and Wi-Fi are a part of our daily lives, but transit agencies must secure their OT or industrial control systems (ICS) with a lesser-known set of system requirements to meet safety and security goals across all ICS systems. APTA uses NIST best practices protection to stay ahead of a digital disaster that is always waiting around the next corner. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a U.S. government agency that works with industries to develop best practices. 18 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | NOVEMBER 2022 by organizations like NIST for several years. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) uses NIST standards to better define the critical actions transit agencies should take to secure transportation networks. Imto help transit agencies build OT protection programs. The focus is on " maturing " an organization's cyber preparedness. The concept is not very different from my expectation for my daughter as she soon graduates college. We have discussions about preparedness and have found there are many things she has learned in the past four years: * There are things that she knows she knows * There are things that she knows she doesn't know * There are deep things she doesn't know that she knowshttp://www.MassTransitmag.com