Your OT network is their next attack path.
Most attacks on operational technology don’t start in your facility. They start in your IT environment and walk straight through.
We find that path before a real attacker does.
THE PROBLEM
The IT/OT boundary is where most attacks succeed.
SCADA systems, PLCs, and distributed control systems weren’t built with attackers in mind.
Many run on legacy software, unsupported operating systems, and protocols that were never designed for a connected world and they’re often assumed to be isolated until they’re not.
Annual compliance audits don’t catch a misconfiguration introduced during last week’s maintenance window. A new vendor remote access connection. An engineer’s workstation running software that hasn’t been patched in three years.
The gaps compound quietly.
What we test
SCADA & DCS
Supervisory platforms, historian servers, and HMIs, including those reachable via your IT network.
PLCs & engineering workstations
Device access, logic integrity, and the workstations used to program them.
A compromised workstation with vendor software isn’t just a security incident, it’s potential control over your operation.
IT/OT network boundary
We test whether your OT network is truly isolated, or whether the assumed boundary is a paper wall.
Firewall configs, VLAN segmentation, and remote access pathways all in scope.
It-to-OT pivot simulation
Starting from assumed compromise within your IT environment — the realistic attacker position — we simulate the full lateral movement journey toward your operational systems.
HOW WE APPROACH IT
Passive-first. Protocol-aware.
Built around your constraints.
OT environments are fragile. We know that, and we test accordingly. Our default posture is passive – understanding your environment, mapping exposure, and identifying vulnerabilities through observation and configuration review before any active testing begins.
01 Passive reconnaissance
We map your environment, identify exposed interfaces, and understand your architecture before touching anything.
02 CONFIGURATION & ARCHITECTURE REVIEW
Segmentation analysis, remote access review, and protocol-aware assessment of your IT/OT boundary.
03 ACTIVE TESTING
Where active testing is appropriate, we work around your operational windows. Test environments first. Out of hours where possible. Always bespoke to your constraints.
04 FINDINGS VIA THE PORTAL
Real-time findings as we discover them, not a PDF three weeks later. Direct access to your CovertSwarm team to validate fixes and retest.
WHAT WE FIND
The gaps that matter.
In OT environments, the most dangerous vulnerabilities are rarely the most complex. They’ve often been quietly present for years, hidden behind an assumed air gap.
The findings from CovertSwarm’s OT assessment changed how our board thinks about operational risk. It was a wake-up call.
Head of Cybersecurity (confidential)
FIND THE PATH BEFORE THEY DO.
Our OT specialists will build a bespoke attack plan around your environment, your systems, and your operational constraints.
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