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OT Cybersecurity GAP Assessment

OT Cybersecurity

GAP Assessment

An Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity Gap Assessment is a structured High-Level evaluation that compares an organization’s current industrial security posture against established frameworks (like IEC 62443 or NIST CSF) to identify vulnerabilities, risks, and missing controls. It identifies discrepancies in people, processes, and technology, providing a roadmap to secure critical infrastructure, prevent operational downtime, and ensure safety. It is usually a very high level exercise often conducted as an initial step towards establishing further detailed Assessments like OT Risk Assessment , OT Vulnerability Assessments and other detailed assessments as highlighted in our various Assessment Services.This assessment is typically the first step in enhancing security, helping to secure funding and establish a long-term, actionable security strategy.
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Key Aspects of OT Penetration Testing

Full OT asset discovery
Vulnerability identification and prioritisation
Baseline for compliance (e.g. NIS2, IEC 62443)
Board-ready insights into risk

Methodology

01

Discover

Identify assets and connected systems

02

Assess

Scan for vulnerabilities and compliance gaps

03

Prioritise

Rank issues by impact and likelihood

04

Report

Provide executive and technical outputs

Deliverables

01

OT asset inventory

02

Vulnerability & risk report

03

Prioritised remediation roadmap

04

Executive summary

Deliverables listed are provided as a guideline and will vary depending on the scope of work, agreed Statement of Work (SOW), and programme requirements.
OT Security

Key Aspects of an OT Cybersecurity Gap Assessment

01
Definition

It evaluates the difference between the current state of security and a desired target state (e.g., maturity level, compliance requirements).

02
Focus on OT Characteristics

Unlike IT assessments, OT assessments prioritize safety, availability, and uptime over confidentiality. They often account for legacy systems and specialized industrial protocols.

03
Process

Discovery: Reviewing existing policies, conducting staff interviews, and identifying assets without any tools (diagrams, Asset Registers, OEM Documents, As-Built).

Comparison: Mapping existing controls against ISA/IEC 62443 or NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

Gap Analysis: Identifying weak areas such as missing controls, weak authentication, or poor segmentation.

Reporting & Recommendations: Providing a clear, prioritized action plan for improving security.

04
Purpose

To build a robust security posture, comply with regulations, and defend against increasing threats to critical infrastructure (e.g., ransomware on manufacturing lines).

Key Aspects of OT Penetration Testing

01

Focus on Safety and Uptime

Unlike traditional IT Penetration testing, which prioritizes data confidentiality, and is intrusive to network and systems , OT Penetration testing is carefully conducted to ensure zero disruption to production, machinery, and safety systems.

02

Scope

Covers specialized industrial equipment, legacy systems, and network protocols common in manufacturing, energy, and utility and other industrial sectors.

03

Methodology

Follows frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK for ICS ( Add link MITRE ATT&CK for ICS) to map techniques, including reconnaissance, initial access from IT networks, and exploiting control systems.

04

Deliverables

Provides a comprehensive report with risks, technical vulnerabilities, and actionable recommendations to secure the OT environment.

05

Purpose

Validates defenses and strengthens security against threats like ransomware spreading from IT to OT , Insecure Remote Access and various other threat scenarios applicable to ICS environment.

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