OT Vulnerability Assessment
Our OT Vulnerability Assessment service provides a thorough, risk-prioritized view of security weaknesses across your industrial environment. Unlike IT-centric assessments, our approach is designed specifically for operational technology where safety and uptime are paramount.
Why OT Vulnerability Assessment Matters
Industrial control systems were designed for reliability and process performance, not cybersecurity. As OT environments connect to enterprise networks and the internet, previously isolated vulnerabilities become exploitable.
An OT Vulnerability Assessment provides the foundational visibility required to understand your security posture. Without knowing what assets you have and what vulnerabilities they carry, it is impossible to prioritize remediation or measure risk reduction.
Our approach is specifically designed for OT: passive, non-intrusive, and calibrated to avoid any risk of disrupting the industrial processes your systems control.
What We Assess
- PLCs, RTUs, and field devices
- SCADA and DCS servers
- HMI workstations and engineering stations
- Historian and data servers
- Industrial networking equipment (switches, routers, firewalls)
- Remote access infrastructure
- IT/OT network boundaries and DMZs
Non-Intrusive Assessment
Passive techniques that deliver visibility without disrupting operations
Engagement Methodology
A structured, phased approach designed for the safety, availability, and compliance requirements of operational technology environments.
Scope Definition and Planning
Define the assessment boundary including target systems, network segments, safety-critical exclusion zones, and operational constraints. Establish rules of engagement, identify maintenance windows for any active testing, and obtain stakeholder sign-off before any technical work begins.
Entry Point Analysis
Map all network entry points, external-facing interfaces, and access paths into the OT environment. Evaluate internet exposure, VPN and remote access configurations, vendor connections, IT/OT boundary crossings, wireless access points, and any direct connections to business or cloud networks.
Passive Network Reconnaissance
Capture and analyze OT network traffic passively using SPAN/mirror ports where available, or PCAP-based analysis where SPAN is not feasible. Build a complete asset inventory, map communication flows, identify active protocols (Modbus, OPC-UA, EtherNet/IP, DNP3), and detect anomalous or unauthorized traffic patterns — all without introducing any risk to live processes.
Firewall and Network Device Review
Review firewall rule sets, switch configurations, VLAN segmentation, ACLs, and routing policies across the OT network. Identify overly permissive rules, undocumented cross-zone paths, default credentials on network devices, and misconfigurations that could allow lateral movement or unauthorized access to critical segments.
Vulnerability Identification
Correlate discovered assets against NVD, ICS-CERT advisories, vendor bulletins, and the CISA KEV catalog. Go beyond CVE identification to evaluate network-level weaknesses, insecure protocol usage, authentication gaps, unpatched firmware, and configuration-based exposures across PLCs, HMIs, RTUs, and engineering workstations.
Risk-Based Prioritization
Prioritize all findings based on real operational impact — factoring in network reachability, proximity to safety systems, production criticality, exploit availability, cascading failure potential, and effectiveness of existing compensating controls. Produce a risk-ranked findings register that reflects actual threat to operations, not just CVSS scores.
Remediation Roadmap and Reporting
Deliver a detailed technical report with an executive summary suitable for board-level review. Include a three-tier remediation roadmap: immediate actions for critical exposures, near-term fixes aligned with maintenance windows, and strategic improvements requiring vendor coordination. Conduct a formal readout with both technical teams and leadership.
Service Deliverables
- Comprehensive OT asset inventory with network map
- Detailed vulnerability report with OT-adapted risk ratings
- Network topology and segmentation analysis
- IEC 62443 gap analysis at component and system level
- Prioritized three-tier remediation roadmap
- Executive summary for board-level reporting
Frameworks We Align With
Industries Served
Start Your Vulnerability Assessment Engagement
Get in touch to discuss your specific OT environment and how we can scope this engagement for your organization.