OT Incident Response & Forensics is a service designed to manage cyber security incidents in Operational Technology (OT) environments, such as industrial control systems (ICS), SCADA systems and other critical infrastructures. We designed this service to minimize the impact of cyber-attacks, ensure business continuity and enable effective incident investigation in a specific OT environment.

Objectives of the service

• Rapid Incident Response: We ensure a rapid response to any breach or suspected cyber-attack to minimize damage and risks to critical infrastructure.
• Preservation and recovery of operations: Protecting the continuity of operation of industrial systems and minimizing downtime caused by incidents.
• Forensic analysis: Obtaining and analyzing incident evidence to determine the source of the attack, the methods of penetration and the extent of the damage with specialized tools and knowledge.
• Improving security measures: Providing recommendations for strengthening the security of OT systems based on the results of the investigation.

Main components of the service

• 1. Incident Response (IR) for OT environment

  • Monitoring and incident detection: Continuous monitoring of OT networks using specialized tools that detect anomalies, threats and intrusions, including industrial malware, unauthorized access and tampering with industrial equipment.
  • Rapid IR Team Deployment: Deploy a dedicated team of OT cybersecurity experts experienced in incident response in industrial environments.
  • Isolation of the incident: Fast and safe isolation of compromised parts of the network or systems without disrupting operations, in order to prevent the spread of the attack and protect critical equipment.
  • Post-incident recovery: Providing a methodology for restoring OT systems to their original state, including ensuring the integrity of the systems and verifying that no malicious elements remain in the network.

• 2. Forensic analysis of OT systems

  • Evidence Preservation: Ensuring the integrity of evidence by capturing an image of systems, networks and devices that may have been the target or intermediary of an attack.
  • Specialized OT forensic analysis: Investigating unique forensic traces in OT systems, including device commands and controls, software that communicates with control systems, and analyzing protocols such as Modbus, DNP3, Siemens S7 and OPC.
  • Determining the origin of the attack: Identifying the path of the attack (attack vector), the method of penetration into the OT network and which devices or systems were attacked.
  • Malware and threat analysis: If the incident was caused by malware, the forensics team analyzes the malicious code and its effects on OT systems to ensure that the malicious elements have been fully removed.

• 3. Documentation and reporting of incidents

  • Detailed incident report: Providing a complete overview of the incident, including all findings, forensic evidence and steps taken to manage the incident.
  • Reporting to regulators: Providing reports to regulators or supervisory authorities as required by standards or legislation for critical infrastructure.

• 4. Ensuring continuity and prevention

  • Restoring systems after an incident: Cooperation with operations teams to restore compromised systems and ensure their security after an incident.
  • Preventive measures: Based on the results of the analysis, provide recommendations and security measures to improve the protection of OT systems against future attacks, including the setting of security policies, the implementation of new security technologies and personnel training.
  • Security against escalation of the incident: Implementation of additional controls that prevent the spread of attacks from OT systems to the IT infrastructure or vice versa.

Advantages of the OT Incident Response & Forensics service

• Fast response: Minimize downtime and protect critical industrial processes in real time.
• OT systems expertise: A dedicated team with extensive experience in industrial environments who understand the specific challenges of OT networks and technologies.
• Continuity of operations: The ability to isolate incidents without disrupting important processes, ensuring minimal impact on production or other key activities.
• Forensic due diligence: Securing evidence and incident analysis in accordance with forensic best practices and legal requirements.
• Long-term prevention: Securing OT systems against future threats through improved security measures and procedures.

OT Incident Response & Forensics is a key service for critical infrastructure organizations that need rapid incident response and thorough forensic analysis to minimize the impact of cyber-attacks on their industrial systems and equipment.