As industries become more connected and digitized, the challenge of safeguarding operational technology (OT) environments from cyber threats has never been greater.
Securing Operational Technology (OT) environments is no longer optional—it’s essential to ensuring reliability, safety, and compliance. Whether your organization is just beginning its OT security journey or looking to optimize an existing security program, partnering with experts can make all the difference.
At Insane Cyber, we understand these challenges because we’ve been in your shoes. Our OT cybersecurity professionals provide tailored solutions to help organizations navigate complex security landscapes and implement strategies that work in real-world industrial environments.
This guide explores the key types of OT cybersecurity professional service engagements, how they support organizations at different stages of their security journey, and how to determine the right fit for your needs.
Understanding OT Cybersecurity Engagements
Every industrial organization has unique cybersecurity requirements. To address these, OT cybersecurity engagements come in different forms, each designed to assess, strengthen, and validate an organization’s security posture.
While customized to meet specific client needs, these engagements generally fall into four primary categories:
- OT Cybersecurity Assessments
- OT Vulnerability Assessments
- OT Penetration Testing
- Tabletop Exercises
By understanding what each engagement type entails and its expected outcomes, organizations can make informed decisions to bolster their security resilience.
Active vs. Passive Engagements
Before diving into specific engagement types, it’s important to distinguish between active and passive engagements.
Passive Engagements
Passive engagements focus on gathering information without directly interacting with the operational environment. This is often done through:
- Configuration file exports
- Network traffic captures
- Subject Matter Expert (SME) workshops
All data collected is analyzed outside the live industrial environment to minimize risk. These engagements are ideal for organizations looking for an initial security assessment without any operational disruptions.
Active Engagements
Active engagements involve direct interaction with the environment or a controlled test environment. These engagements follow strict rules of engagement to ensure safety and operational continuity.
Examples of active engagements include penetration testing and certain types of vulnerability assessments that validate security controls.
Key OT Cybersecurity Engagement Types
1. OT Cybersecurity Assessments
An OT cybersecurity assessment is the foundational step in strengthening an organization’s security posture. It provides a thorough evaluation of:
- Industrial environment and supporting infrastructure
- Security policies and procedures
- Operational cyber practices
The objective is to identify existing strengths, security gaps, and areas for improvement. Organizations receive a comprehensive report with actionable recommendations to enhance their security strategy.
2. OT Vulnerability Assessments
An OT vulnerability assessment focuses on identifying and evaluating potential vulnerabilities within industrial networks and systems.
This engagement typically involves:
- Scanning for known vulnerabilities
- Identifying misconfigurations and architectural weaknesses
- Performing static analysis of critical assets
Unlike penetration testing, vulnerabilities are not exploited. Instead, the goal is to uncover as many attack paths as possible, helping organizations prioritize remediation efforts effectively.
3. OT Penetration Testing
Penetration testing (pen testing) simulates a real-world cyberattack to assess the security of an OT environment. It is ideal for mature organizations with established security measures and involves:
- Simulating adversarial attack scenarios
- Exploiting vulnerabilities to test system resilience
- Evaluating the effectiveness of security controls
Penetration tests help organizations understand how difficult it would be for an attacker to compromise their environment and how well their security monitoring can detect such activities.
4. Tabletop Exercises (TTXs)
Tabletop Exercises are discussion-based simulations that test an organization’s cybersecurity incident response. These exercises allow teams to:
- Walk through a simulated cyber incident in a risk-free setting
- Identify gaps in response procedures
- Strengthen cross-team coordination
Each TTX is tailored to the organization’s unique threat landscape and operational environment, ensuring participants gain practical insights into improving response readiness.
Choosing the Right Engagement for Your Organization
Organizations may struggle to determine where to start with OT cybersecurity professional services. Here’s a general guideline based on security maturity levels:
- Beginner: Start with an OT Cybersecurity Assessment to establish a baseline understanding of security strengths and weaknesses.
- Intermediate: Conduct an OT Vulnerability Assessment to pinpoint and prioritize security gaps.
- Advanced: Perform a Penetration Test to validate defenses and uncover exploitable weaknesses.
- Ongoing Improvement: Regularly schedule Tabletop Exercises to refine incident response strategies and improve team coordination.
For organizations with specific compliance requirements, such as NERC CIP, engagements can be customized to align with regulatory standards and best practices.
The Insane Cyber Advantage
At Insane Cyber, we go beyond just identifying problems—we provide practical solutions tailored to industrial environments. Our approach is built on:
- Real-World Experience: Our team has hands-on experience in OT environments and understands the unique challenges they present.
- Collaborative Engagements: We work closely with security, operations, engineering, and compliance teams to ensure holistic security improvements.
- Actionable Insights: Every engagement delivers clear, prioritized recommendations that organizations can act on immediately.
Cyber threats to industrial environments continue to evolve, making proactive security measures more critical than ever.
By leveraging expert-driven OT cybersecurity engagements, organizations can enhance resilience, maintain compliance, and secure their critical infrastructure against emerging threats.
Keep reading for our in-depth series, where we explore each of these engagements in greater detail, helping you find the right cybersecurity solutions for your OT environment.