It’s been one year…

Note from Tom: A year ago today, I saw a post by Mike Assante in my inbox. The post I wrote after reading it has drawn more views than almost any other post I’ve written in about eight years, and I can see that people keep returning to it. Here is that post. I’m also including the post on Mike that I wrote a few days later. I feel just as sad now as I did then.

A farewell from Mike Assante

I just read on the SANS ICS Community perhaps the saddest post I've ever seen. It's by Mike Assante, former NERC CSO (in fact, I believe he was the first one), and someone who has been hugely important to the industrial cyber security field, and especially to grid security. To read about his accomplishments, you can go to his LinkedIn page.

He has been battling leukemia for a long time, and there have been ups and downs. This post is his farewell. When I first saw it, I thought he had written it because he had been told that the end was near. However, as you can see, he wrote it while he still could, with instructions that it not be posted until he had passed on. I hadn't heard that he had - and LinkedIn and the SANS website don't mention this at all yet - but I take this as notification of his passing.

Even though I didn't know him very well, I'm really going to miss him! As a final note, I'll point out that he concluded with a joke. Here's Mike's final post:

As you might have surmised this note is a goodbye to this ICS community.  I have been in a long, hard fight with Leukemia and it has come to an end.  I wanted to provide a final update to all my friends and the general ICS community upon my passing, as well as to provide my support in what all of you have chosen to do in your careers.

I have had the honor to work alongside so many talented and passionate professionals throughout the years.  I need you to know that what you do and how you do it matters to communities, to companies, and to our nations.  I have worked hard alongside some of the greatest people to demonstrate the risks, provide strategies to manage it, and now to develop the workforce to enhance its security. 

I am especially proud to have collaborated with the communities from inside of Idaho National Laboratories (INL) and SANS.  I leave behind the people I loved to work with, especially as they are so focused on making a difference.  I want to thank all of you for what you do and what you have done, and I want to say farewell!

Continue your hard work and be confident that it is noble to protect infrastructures and your organizations value.  Your work is more important than most organizations understand, but we continue in it out of a sense of duty and passion.  You must carry-on, keep sharing with each other, and use this forum to continue to help our community.  I now get to take a whole new look at another infrastructure, but this time it’s in the sky (and I’m not talking about the 737 Max)! 

Here's the post I wrote two days later, on July 8:

Mike Assante

I just can’t get Mike’s parting message to the ICS security community out of my mind. I can’t put aside the fact that, when he was obviously very near the end and probably very weak, as well as distracted with thoughts of the family he was leaving behind (including young children), his number 2 concern (after his family, I’m sure) was the unsung throngs of people working day by day to help make the grid more secure.

Notice he didn’t name any names, or ever say something like “…and I especially want to thank Joe Jones for his immeasurable contributions…” Instead, look at the first three sentences of his last paragraph, before the last sentence (which was a critical infrastructure joke, and quite timely): “Continue your hard work and be confident that it is noble to protect infrastructures and your organization’s value.  Your work is more important than most organizations understand, but we continue in it out of a sense of duty and passion.  You must carry on, keep sharing with each other, and use this forum to continue to help our community.”

Almost literally Mike’s last published thought was about the people who work for organizations that don’t bestow on those who labor in their security vineyards either the monetary or psychic rewards they deserve. His message: “Your work is important and noble. You must carry it on, but you’re not alone. There are many others doing the same thing. You can all support each other.”

Rest in peace, Mike.