OT/ICS Adversary Simulation

Simulate adversarial attempts to breach IT environments and pivot into OT/ICS systems to assess the resilience of your critical infrastructure.

Type

Adversary Simulation

Focus

Critical Infrastructure

Scope

IT-to-OT Pivoting

Deliverable

Industrial Resilience

Protecting Critical Infrastructure

Operational Technology (OT) environments, including SCADA, ICS, and industrial systems, are increasingly interconnected with IT networks, exposing them to new threats. Adversaries targeting critical infrastructure seek to exploit this convergence, breaching IT environments to pivot into OT systems with the goal of disrupting or manipulating industrial processes.

SilentGrid's OT/ICS Adversary Simulation replicates these attack paths, testing how effectively your organisation's segmentation, monitoring, and response capabilities prevent adversaries from bridging into OT environments. Our engagements uncover segmentation weaknesses, misconfigured firewalls, and insufficient network controls that expose OT to external compromise.

Why OT/ICS Security Matters

Traditionally isolated OT systems are now integrated with IT networks to enable efficiency, automation, and remote monitoring. This creates new attack surfaces for adversaries capable of pivoting from the IT side.

✓ IT-OT convergence creates new attack surfaces for adversaries
✓ Ransomware groups increasingly target OT environments for operational disruption
✓ Nation-state actors seek to manipulate ICS protocols and gain persistence
✓ Breaches can lead to production halts, physical damage, and safety incidents

OT Adversary Simulation Methodology

SilentGrid employs a structured adversarial engagement that mirrors the lifecycle of real-world OT-focused attacks.

Reconnaissance and Target Profiling

• Map the IT-OT boundary and interaction points
• Perform OSINT and network enumeration to locate exposed remote access, HMIs, and ICS interfaces

Initial Compromise (IT Environment)

• Simulate initial IT compromise through phishing, credential theft, or endpoint exploitation
• Establish footholds in IT environments with the goal of reaching ICS assets

Lateral Movement to OT Networks

• Attempt to bypass segmentation through dual-homed devices, misconfigured firewalls
• Leverage RDP, SSH, SMB, and industrial protocols (Modbus, DNP3, OPC UA) to move laterally

Persistence and Control Escalation

• Deploy custom ICS-focused malware or simulate implanting rogue scripts in PLCs
• Attempt to modify ladder logic, SCADA parameters, or issue rogue actuator commands in testing

Critical Impact and Safety Testing

• Simulate manipulation of critical assets without disrupting live operations
• Validate that safety instrumentation systems (SIS) and fail-safes engage properly

Key Engagement Objectives

Our OT/ICS simulations reflect the tactics of advanced persistent threats, ransomware actors, and insider threats:

Identify IT-to-OT Pivoting Paths

Discover how adversaries can move from corporate networks to industrial systems

Simulate SCADA and PLC Attacks

Test resilience of control systems against targeted manipulation

Test Segmentation Controls

Validate effectiveness of firewalls and network separation

Assess Incident Response

Evaluate readiness for OT-specific security incidents

Key Benefits of OT Adversary Simulation

Identify Segmentation Gaps

Test the effectiveness of firewalls, VLANs, and segmentation rules

Expose Dual-Homed Devices

Discover insecure engineering laptops, remote access solutions, and bridging devices

Validate OT Incident Response

Evaluate your ability to detect, respond to, and contain OT-targeted attacks

Protect Critical Operations

Ensure industrial processes and safety mechanisms are resilient against compromise

Comprehensive Deliverables

SilentGrid delivers reports that offer both technical depth and strategic insights for protecting industrial environments:

Attack Path Documentation

Full breakdown of how adversaries moved from IT to OT environments

OT Segmentation Analysis

Identification of firewall misconfigurations, dual-homed devices, and network paths

Critical Vulnerability Report

ICS-specific misconfigurations, insecure protocols, and device-level weaknesses

Incident Response Evaluation

Assessment of your team's ability to detect and contain OT-targeted attacks

Is OT Adversary Simulation Right for You?

This service is ideal for organisations that:

✓ Operate ICS, SCADA, or industrial networks managing critical infrastructure
✓ Have IT-OT converged environments but lack visibility into lateral movement risks
✓ Need to assess firewall and segmentation controls at the IT-OT boundary
✓ Are concerned about nation-state threats or targeted ransomware disrupting operations

Secure Your Industrial Networks

Start OT/ICS Simulation

Protect critical infrastructure against sophisticated industrial threats

SilentGrid helps secure industrial networks against adversaries targeting critical infrastructure through realistic attack simulations.

Environment

IT & OT Systems

Testing Focus

Segmentation & Controls

Safety

Non-Disruptive

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