OT Cybersecurity for Manufacturing Plants

An IEC 62443 security program for your production network, in four steps, that your own team can keep running.

Why the plant floor needs its own security program

Ransomware on the office network, a vendor laptop plugged into a PLC, a remote-access tool nobody remembers setting up: this is how plants stop today. Every PLC or HMI that gets a network connection is another way in. Office IT controls don't fit a controller that can't be patched on a Tuesday afternoon, so the plant needs its own program, built on IEC 62443, the industrial automation security standard your auditors and insurers ask about.

We run that program in four steps. Each one leaves something behind that you own: drawings, rules, checklists and a plan.

Step 1 – IEC 62443-3-2

Risk assessment and zoning

We walk your plant, list every PLC, HMI, server and network link, and work out what an attacker could reach and what it would cost you in downtime. You get a ranked list of risks and a zoning plan that says which systems to protect first.

What you get: Asset inventory, risk register ranked by downtime cost, zone and conduit drawing with a target security level per zone.

Step 2 – Zones and conduits

Network segmentation and remote access

We split the production network into zones, put a controlled gateway between office IT and the plant, and replace ad hoc vendor remote access with one monitored door. Office malware stays off the line, and suppliers still get in when a machine needs support.

What you get: Segmented network with an IT/OT DMZ, firewall rules per conduit, one audited remote-access path for vendors.

Step 3 – IEC 62443-3-3, SL 1–4

Hardening and access control

We lock down PLCs, HMIs, engineering stations and servers: who can log in, what they can change, which patches go on and when. Each zone is set to the security level it needs, so a maintenance tech isn't blocked but a stranger is.

What you get: Hardening checklists applied and recorded, role-based accounts, a patch and configuration schedule the plant can keep.

Step 4 – IEC 62443-2-1

Monitoring and incident response

We watch the plant network for new devices and unusual traffic, and write an incident plan with your team that says who does what in the first hour. We rehearse it with you, and the records stay ready for an audit.

What you get: Network monitoring with alerts to named people, a rehearsed incident plan, audit-ready records.

The eight IEC 62443 requirements, in plain terms

Every control we put in maps to one of these. If an auditor asks where a requirement is covered, the answer is in the program documents.

  • Identification and authentication control. Every person and device proves who it is before it touches the plant network.
  • Use control. Operators, technicians and vendors can only do what their role allows.
  • System integrity. Controller logic and settings can't be changed without it being noticed.
  • Data confidentiality. Recipes, production data and passwords stay private.
  • Restricted data flow. Traffic only crosses between zones where you have allowed it.
  • Timely response to events. Alerts reach the right person while there is still time to act.
  • Resource availability. The line keeps running through an attack or a failure.
  • Secure development lifecycle. Software we build for you is designed and tested to be secure from the start.

Built into Uptario as well

Uptario models the plant as IEC 62443 zones and conduits and maps which device talks to which over Modbus, OPC UA and Ethernet/IP. A segmentation checker flags traffic that crosses a zone outside a declared conduit, so the drawing from step 1 stays true after go-live. See it on the CMMS page.

Start with the assessment, or bring us in at any step

Audit and certification support included. Tell us about your plant and which systems worry you.

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