Terminator termination! Byres say goodbye to Tofino!

Eric Byres and his wife Joann Byres (Tofino co-founder and Belden Vice President) have announced that they are retiring from the Tofino Security group at Belden effective January 30, 2015.

Joann & Eric Byres

In Eric's last blog at Tofino/Belden he states, "As we reflect back on almost a decade and half in the industrial security business, we remember the wild ride it has been to create and grow both a SCADA security business and the industry as a whole. From our early days of critical infrastructure security research, to Stuxnet, to last year’s release of the Tofino 2.0 product line, we have seen a lot of changes.

"When we think about what we aimed to achieve, we’re glad that some of our core beliefs have gained widespread acceptance. This includes the principle of “security simplicity” and the necessity of Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) for industrial protocols. We also tried to contribute to the ICS security industry overall and our work on standards, particularly with ISA, was rewarding.

"Stepping away from industrial security, Tofino firewalls and endless airport security checks is going to be a big change. "

Eric in full battle gear!

This blog then outlines the influential work accomplished during their time batteling against the evils of the syber, especially in their innovative work following the discovery of Stuxnet and the initial warnings they issued, "Security threat to the control system world!"  in 19th July 2010.

The world of industrial automation owes a debt to the "Stuxnet Terminator" and his work against this and many other "little varmints!"

We wish them both well in their retirement and having seen details of some of the ideas they have for their retirement we know that the will continue to make an impact on the standard of living of disadvantaged youth in our unequal world.