An agreed grinding area
Define the processing step and the digital functions needed within its agreed boundary.
MINING & MINERAL PROCESSING
OT cybersecurity built around your processing operation.
A processing upgrade needs a security decision. An assessment left findings open. A supplier handover raised questions about access, ownership or recovery materials.
Define the work, review the evidence and coordinate the actions behind those decisions. Start with one processing area, a defined set of findings or one critical process.
OPERATIONS · IT/OT · CONTROLS · EXECUTIVE SPONSORS · PROCUREMENT
Process → dependencies → decision
Follow the processing step to the decision.
Explore an illustrative processing area and the digital dependencies, evidence and responsibilities a focused engagement may need to cover.
Grinding circuit / illustrative scope
Scoping example
02 / Possible dependencies
Controls & configurations
Included control-system components and configuration ownership.
Operator & engineering systems
Workstations, application versions and technical support roles.
Process interfaces & shared services
Upstream, downstream and shared digital dependencies within scope.
Records & responsibilities
- Available control and configuration records
- Internal, OEM and integrator responsibilities
- Recovery materials and unresolved prerequisites
The decision to support
Which dependencies and evidence need attention before an upgrade, supplier handover or scoped 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.
Grinding circuit
Process boundary: An agreed grinding area
Define the processing step and the digital functions needed within its agreed boundary.
Possible dependencies and responsibilities
- Controls & configurations
- Included control-system components and configuration ownership.
- Operator & engineering systems
- Workstations, application versions and technical support roles.
- Process interfaces & shared services
- Upstream, downstream and shared digital dependencies within scope.
Evidence to review
- Available control and configuration records
- Internal, OEM and integrator responsibilities
- Recovery materials and unresolved prerequisites
Decision supported
Which dependencies and evidence need attention before an upgrade, supplier handover or scoped recovery activity?
Flotation area
Process boundary: An agreed flotation area
Identify the area's required digital functions and the interfaces included in the review.
Possible dependencies and responsibilities
- Control functions & configurations
- Included controls, application settings and their custodians.
- Operator information & software
- Interfaces and software needed by the agreed operational scope.
- Area interfaces & provider support
- Dependencies on adjacent areas, shared services and suppliers.
Evidence to review
- Configuration and version records
- Interface responsibilities and supplier records
- Available recovery documentation and known gaps
Decision supported
What needs a named owner, better evidence or agreed follow-through before the area's next change?
Dewatering system
Process boundary: An agreed dewatering area
Scope the processing function and the supporting digital systems required for its operation.
Possible dependencies and responsibilities
- Controls & configurations
- Included equipment-control functions and current records.
- Operator interfaces & monitoring
- Interfaces, software and operational information within scope.
- Shared services & supplier access
- Supporting dependencies, access arrangements and technical providers.
Evidence to review
- System and dependency boundaries
- Configuration custodians and provider responsibilities
- Recovery materials, access needs and outstanding questions
Decision supported
What is supported by evidence, and what must be clarified before the area's recovery workpack is reviewed?
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 processing operation
What is OT cybersecurity for mining and mineral processing?
OT cybersecurity for mining and mineral processing addresses security risks in control systems, operator workstations and supporting services used by a processing operation. An OT Security Assessment reviews agreed systems and evidence; OT Finding-to-Closure Support coordinates actions and owners for existing findings; and Critical Process Recovery Readiness examines the materials, access, sequence and responsibilities needed for one process's recovery. The scope follows the operational question, included systems and decision your team needs to make.
What does your site need to get through? A named job and a decision date give the engagement a practical boundary. Start with the situation that matches your processing operation.
A processing upgrade
A crusher, grinding circuit, flotation area or dewatering system is changing, and the project needs an agreed cybersecurity review scope.
A supplier handover
An OEM or controls provider is changing. Access responsibilities, documentation and outstanding handover items need attention.
Findings that remain open
A corporate review identified gaps. The site needs implementation owners and evidence requirements before it can move them forward.
Unclear recovery arrangements
A critical processing area depends on software, configurations or supplier support whose recovery arrangements have not been established.
A maintenance opportunity
A planned window creates an opportunity to complete approved work. Prerequisites and decisions need attention before that window arrives.
The scope can account for shared digital services and upstream or downstream dependencies. Agree which processing areas, suppliers and sites belong in the review.
Three focused engagements
A clear purchase for the decision ahead.
Understand the gaps
Review an agreed system and security requirement. Receive evidence, priorities and recommended actions.
Explore OT AssessmentMove existing findings forward
Coordinate a defined group of findings around actions, owners and the evidence needed for decisions.
Explore Closure SupportReview process recovery readiness
Establish the materials, dependencies and responsibilities behind one critical process's digital recovery.
Explore Recovery ReadinessOT Security Assessment
Know what needs attention and why.
Buy a review of an agreed system boundary and security requirement, with evidence, prioritized gaps and recommended actions.
What the scope covers
This fits a processing-system change, an internal assurance request or uncertainty about a defined operational area. We agree the review criteria and the decision the findings will support.
The boundary may include selected control-system components, operator or engineering workstations, supporting infrastructure and supplier-access arrangements. Inclusion depends on the agreed job and available evidence.
An inventory supplied at the start is a review input. The scope and evidence record identify the coverage achieved and any remaining unknowns.
What you receive
- A documented scope, review criteria and evidence record.
- Findings connected to the systems and requirements reviewed.
- Priorities reflecting operational context and known constraints.
- Recommended actions, unresolved questions and an owner readout.
Decision supported
What requires attention, what further evidence is needed and which actions should enter the site's work plan? Technical changes require explicit scope and site authorization.
OT Finding-to-Closure Support
Connect each finding to an owner and evidence.
Buy coordination and evidence review for a defined group of existing findings.
What the scope covers
This fits a backlog crossing site IT, controls engineering, OEMs and corporate security. A finding may be understood but remain open because the action, prerequisite, acceptance evidence or decision owner is unclear.
We turn the agreed findings into work packages. A supplier-access finding, for example, may require an internal owner, a defined support arrangement and records for review. Authorized teams perform technical changes under the site's approval processes.
What you receive
- An agreed finding register and boundaries for the work.
- Actions, implementation owners, dependencies and evidence requirements.
- A record of progress, evidence reviewed and outstanding decisions.
- Distinct statuses for completed and checked work, interim controls, scheduled work, accepted risk and unresolved items.
Decision supported
Which findings have sufficient evidence for an authorized disposition, and what still blocks the rest? The engagement does not assume every finding can be closed.
Critical Process Recovery Readiness
Make the recovery assumptions visible.
Buy a readiness review and recovery workpack for one agreed critical process.
What the scope covers
Recovery here means restoring the digital functions a process needs to operate. Start with a defined processing step, such as an agreed grinding or dewatering area, and identify the supporting systems included.
We review recovery materials, responsibilities, access arrangements and dependencies with technical owners. Questions may concern control-system configurations, workstation images, software versions, licensing, supplier involvement and recovery-document ownership.
What you receive
- A process boundary and record of digital dependencies.
- A recovery-materials register with custodians and known gaps.
- An ordered workpack with prerequisites and responsibilities for owner-approved procedures.
- A record separating demonstrated, failed and untested conditions, plus maintenance and handover needs.
Decision supported
What is supported by evidence, what remains an assumption and what must be addressed before a scoped restoration exercise? Exercises require separate agreement, site authorization and appropriate technical providers.
Make the evidence useful
What separates a recovery plan from demonstrated recovery readiness?
A plan describes intended work. A readiness record connects one processing area's digital dependencies to the materials, access, owners and conditions needed for that work, and records what evidence supports each step. A listed backup or procedure does not by itself demonstrate that the process can recover.
- Documented: the material, responsibility or procedure is recorded. Record what has been reviewed and any known gap.
- Demonstrated: a separately scoped, authorized exercise produced evidence under recorded conditions. Preserve those conditions and limitations.
- Failed or untested: identify the affected step, the missing evidence or unsuccessful result, and the owner of the next decision.
Critical Process Recovery Readiness makes these distinctions visible in the workpack and gap record. Site authorities retain operational acceptance and return-to-service decisions.
One engagement, shared decisions
Give each decision maker useful information.
Site leadership
Set the operational priority, required decision and acceptance criteria. Receive a clear account of progress, unresolved constraints and decisions requiring sponsorship.
IT/OT and security
Clarify ownership, shared services, access and evidence. Receive findings and actions to discuss with corporate security and the people responsible for site implementation.
Controls, process and maintenance
Explain dependencies, equipment constraints and maintenance requirements. Review proposed work with OEMs or integrators. Site authorities retain control of operational changes and return-to-service decisions.
Procurement and project owners
Define the purchase through its boundary, outputs, responsibilities and acceptance criteria. Establish required internal resources, supplier contributions and how additional scope will be considered.
Before work begins
Make the scope reviewable.
Identify the included site or process, the question being answered and the deliverables to be reviewed. Record the evidence available, participating owners, third-party dependencies and site access requirements.
Agree how work will be accepted and who can make the necessary decisions. Identify constraints such as limited documentation, supplier availability and approved maintenance opportunities so unresolved dependencies remain visible. For a recovery review, use the buyer guide's recovery readiness acceptance criteria to distinguish the workpack from evidence of demonstrated conditions.
Keep responsibilities explicit.
Technical changes, equipment-specific procedures and restoration exercises require explicit scope and authorization. These engagements exclude ongoing monitoring, emergency response coverage and process engineering approval. They do not guarantee uninterrupted production or issue certification.
Engagement leadership: Andres Torres, Founder and Executive Lead, Industrial Cybersecurity, leads Zeroday Cyber's executive relationship and program direction. Technical review and specialist work are assigned according to the agreed scope and qualifications required for your environment.
Buyer questions
Questions worth answering together.
Can we begin when our records are incomplete?
Yes. Describe what exists and what is missing. The initial scope should distinguish evidence review from additional information-gathering work. Unknowns remain visible rather than being treated as verified conditions.
Can our existing integrator and OEM stay involved?
Yes. Their equipment knowledge, documentation and authorized implementation responsibilities are important inputs. Zeroday coordinates the agreed assessment, priorities and evidence review alongside your existing providers.
Does a recovery workpack establish that restoration will succeed?
The readiness record identifies what has been demonstrated and what remains untested. Any exercise has agreed conditions and limits. Site authorities retain operational acceptance and return-to-service decisions.
Start the conversation
Bring the unresolved job.
Share a nonconfidential summary of what needs attention. These details help us discuss whether a focused engagement makes sense:
- The site or processing area involved.
- The triggering event: a finding, upgrade, supplier handover or recovery question.
- The decision required and the people responsible.
- Any target date or planned maintenance opportunity.
- Whether an existing report, project scope or recovery plan is available.
Keep confidential documents out of the public inquiry form. Materials and access requirements can be addressed after scope and information-handling arrangements are agreed.