A production line
Define the line boundary and the digital functions needed for acceptable output.
MANUFACTURING OT CYBERSECURITY
OT cybersecurity work your production team can act on.
A customer needs answers. An assessment left open findings. A production line depends on systems your recovery plan has not fully addressed.
Define the issue, review the evidence and coordinate the next steps around production priorities. Start with one system, a group of findings or a critical process.
OPERATIONS · IT/OT · CONTROLS · EXECUTIVE SPONSORS · PROCUREMENT
Process → dependencies → decision
Start with a process. See what the scope needs.
Follow an illustrative manufacturing process from its digital dependencies to the evidence and decision your team needs.
Production line / illustrative scope
Scoping example
02 / Possible dependencies
Controls & configurations
Included controllers, application logic and configuration ownership.
Operator & engineering systems
Workstations, software versions and the people responsible for them.
Shared services & supplier access
Supporting services, access arrangements and provider responsibilities.
Records & responsibilities
- Available configuration and version records
- Named internal and provider owners
- Recovery materials and documented gaps
The decision to support
Which dependencies and evidence belong in the review before the line's next change or recovery activity?
Illustrative scoping map. Confirm the actual architecture, included dependencies and responsibilities with your technical owners. Any live-system work or restoration exercise requires a separately agreed scope and authorization.
Read all scoping examples
Compare the boundaries, dependencies, responsibilities and evidence in all three illustrative examples. Confirm the actual scope with your technical owners.
Production line
Process boundary: A production line
Define the line boundary and the digital functions needed for acceptable output.
Possible dependencies and responsibilities
- Controls & configurations
- Included controllers, application logic and configuration ownership.
- Operator & engineering systems
- Workstations, software versions and the people responsible for them.
- Shared services & supplier access
- Supporting services, access arrangements and provider responsibilities.
Evidence to review
- Available configuration and version records
- Named internal and provider owners
- Recovery materials and documented gaps
Decision supported
Which dependencies and evidence belong in the review before the line's next change or recovery activity?
Packaging cell
Process boundary: A packaging cell
Agree the cell boundary, required digital functions and interfaces to the rest of the line.
Possible dependencies and responsibilities
- Machine controls & recipes
- The included control functions and production configuration records.
- Operator systems & software
- Interfaces, application versions and support responsibilities.
- Upstream & downstream interfaces
- Dependencies on adjacent equipment and shared production services.
Evidence to review
- Current configuration and software records
- Interface ownership and supplier handover records
- Available recovery instructions and missing prerequisites
Decision supported
What must be documented, owned or reviewed before a cell change, supplier handover or recovery exercise?
Critical plant utility
Process boundary: A critical plant utility
Identify the utility function supporting production and the digital systems included in the engagement.
Possible dependencies and responsibilities
- Utility controls & configurations
- The agreed operational controls and their configuration records.
- Monitoring & operator interfaces
- Systems used to understand the utility's operating condition.
- Access & technical support
- Required access, supporting services and authorized provider roles.
Evidence to review
- System boundary and dependency records
- Configuration custodians and access owners
- Recovery materials, provider dependencies and known gaps
Decision supported
Which utility dependencies need evidence or ownership before the production recovery plan can rely on them?
Connect the question to a focused engagement.
OT Security AssessmentReview agreed systems and requirements. Identify evidence gaps, priorities and recommended actions.Explore assessment scope →
OT Finding-to-Closure SupportConnect defined findings to implementation owners, dependencies and evidence for review.Explore finding support →
Critical Process Recovery ReadinessReview one process's materials, access, responsibilities and recovery assumptions.Explore recovery readiness →
Cybersecurity in the production environment
What is OT cybersecurity for manufacturing?
OT cybersecurity in manufacturing addresses security risks in the digital systems that monitor or control production and the dependencies those systems need to operate. The work considers production constraints, technical ownership and recovery needs alongside security requirements. Zeroday supports a defined system or process through three scoped engagements: an OT Security Assessment to review evidence and gaps; OT Finding-to-Closure Support to coordinate agreed actions and owners; and Critical Process Recovery Readiness to examine the materials, access and responsibilities behind recovery.
What brought this to the top of your list? You do not need a complete cybersecurity program brief. A concrete requirement or unresolved question is enough to begin a scoping conversation.
Customer requirement
Someone needs answers.
A customer or business partner needs evidence about security controls. Your plant needs to understand the applicable system boundary and what evidence is available.
Open findings
The assessment is done. The work is not.
Findings remain open because ownership, implementation dependencies or acceptable evidence are unclear.
Plant change
A handover raises new questions.
A line change, equipment handover or vendor transition has exposed uncertainty about access, configurations or support responsibilities.
Recovery question
One process needs a closer look.
Leadership needs to understand whether a critical process has the materials, access and sequence needed for recovery.
Connect the technical question to the production commitment it affects. That context helps define which work is useful and who needs to participate.
What your team can buy
Three engagements. A defined scope for each.
Choose the work that supports your next decision. The proposed scope identifies the systems, evidence, responsibilities and deliverables involved.
Understand the gaps
OT Security Assessment
A defined review of controls and evidence against an agreed requirement.
Explore Assessment ScopeMove existing work forward
OT Finding-to-Closure Support
Turn a defined group of findings into actions, owners and evidence.
Explore Finding SupportExamine recovery assumptions
Critical Process Recovery Readiness
Review what one process needs before it can produce acceptable output.
Explore Recovery ReadinessEngagement 01
OT Security Assessment
Buy when you need a defined review of current controls or evidence against an agreed security requirement.
Starting scope
Identify a production system, line, cell or agreed environment. Confirm the requirement, included systems and question the assessment should answer.
Options include IEC 62443-3-3 gap assessments and reviews aligned with NIST CSF 2.0 and SP 800-82 OT guidance. Agree the applicable framework and depth in the scope.
Work and outputs
Review available evidence with technical owners. Relevant inventories, control documentation and provider records may inform the review. Record evidence gaps and limitations.
- An evidence record for the agreed review.
- Prioritized gaps and recommended actions.
- A clear distinction between supported findings and areas needing further evidence.
Decision supported
Which gaps matter to this requirement, and what work should be assigned next?
Scope boundary: An assessment does not implement every recommendation or certify compliance. Site access, testing and live-system activity require an agreed scope and authorization.
A customer needs an answer
Does a customer questionnaire require a new OT assessment?
A customer questionnaire is a starting input. First identify the requirement, the production systems it concerns and the decision the response must support. An existing assessment may supply useful evidence, but its scope, review criteria and known limitations need to match the question being asked. Relevant changes since that review also need consideration.
If the coverage or evidence is unclear, scope an OT Security Assessment around that uncertainty. If the gaps are already agreed, OT Finding-to-Closure Support can connect them to actions, owners and evidence. The initial conversation establishes which work is useful.
A useful scoping record: the requirement as written; the affected line, cell or system; the internal evidence owner; the available record and known changes; and the decision still needed. Keep confidential records out of the public inquiry form.
Engagement 02
OT Finding-to-Closure Support
Buy when existing findings need to become work that owners can carry forward and leadership can review.
Starting scope
Select a defined group of findings, affected systems and decision owners. Clarify the requirement, implementation responsibilities and evidence needed to support a status change.
Coordinate with operations, IT, controls engineers, OEMs and integrators around the work and its constraints.
Work and outputs
- Work packages with agreed actions and implementation owners.
- Dependencies and evidence requirements.
- A record of completed actions, outstanding items and decisions.
Implemented and checked, interim control, scheduled, risk accepted and unresolved are distinct statuses. The record makes those differences visible.
Decision supported
What has been addressed, what supports that status and who owns what remains?
Scope boundary: Zeroday leads coordination and evidence review. Your authorized teams and providers control live-system changes. The responsible owner retains decisions about acceptance, exceptions and remaining risk.
Engagement 03
Critical Process Recovery Readiness
Buy when you need to understand what must return before one critical manufacturing process can produce acceptable output.
Starting scope
Choose the process and its required digital functions. Identify included systems, recovery materials, access, people and provider dependencies.
A planned upgrade, equipment handover or vendor transition can be a useful point to examine these assumptions with the technical owners.
Work and outputs
- A process-specific workpack connecting tasks, prerequisites and responsibilities.
- A record of missing materials, unclear access and other readiness gaps.
- Clear distinctions between demonstrated, failed and untested conditions.
Where an exercise is separately scoped and authorized, record its conditions, evidence and follow-up.
Decision supported
What is ready, what remains uncertain and what must be resolved before the next recovery activity?
Scope boundary: A readiness review does not guarantee recovery. Site owners retain safety and return-to-service decisions. Equipment-specific procedures and live-system work remain with authorized technical providers.
The buying committee
Bring the people who own the decision and the equipment.
Plant and Site Leadership
Connect the work to production priorities, customer commitments and the decision required. Identify the internal sponsor and operational constraints.
IT and OT Security
Bring relevant requirements, current evidence and knowledge of shared systems. Help define the boundary and technical dependencies.
Controls, Engineering and Providers
Contribute equipment knowledge, implementation responsibilities and constraints on changes or recovery procedures.
Procurement and Business Stakeholders
Confirm scope, deliverables, responsibilities and review criteria so the proposed work is understandable to approvers and implementers.
Before work begins
Know what is included.
- The system, process or findings included, and the review boundaries.
- The requirement or operational question being addressed.
- Deliverables and the criteria used to review them.
- Named owners, provider dependencies and evidence needs.
- Access conditions, maintenance windows and site constraints where relevant.
- Activities requiring separate scoping or authorization.
Use the buyer guide's illustrative OT engagement scope record to connect the operational question, included systems, evidence and acceptance decision.
Andres Torres leads the executive relationship. Technical review and specialist work are assigned according to the agreed scope and qualifications required for your environment.
Buyer questions
Questions before you get in touch.
Can you work with our IT provider or controls integrator?
Yes. Zeroday works alongside existing providers. The engagement clarifies ownership and handoffs while your authorized teams retain control of changes to live systems and equipment.
We have a customer requirement but are not sure where it applies. Can we start there?
Yes. Describe the requirement and business decision it affects. The initial conversation can establish which boundary and evidence need consideration before an assessment scope is proposed.
Does this include CMMC certification?
No. For applicable defense suppliers, CMMC readiness reviews address the agreed information-system scope and evidence gaps. They do not issue certification. Clarify that scope separately from the plant's broader OT environment.
Can we start with a limited problem?
Yes. A named system, defined group of findings or one critical process provides a useful starting boundary. The proposed engagement should reflect the work needed to support the decision.
Prepare for a useful conversation
Tell us what manufacturing needs to resolve.
Share a nonconfidential summary of the issue and the decision your team needs to make.
- Your manufacturing operation and the system, line or process involved at a high level.
- The requirement, finding or recovery question needing attention.
- The internal owner and providers involved.
- The decision required and any relevant decision date.
Please do not send passwords, network diagrams or confidential operational details through the inquiry form. Evidence and access arrangements can be discussed after the scope is understood.
We will review your inquiry and arrange a conversation about the issue, the people involved and whether a focused engagement makes sense.
Still exploring? Read Zeroday Cyber Insights.