OT Testing
Downtime isn't an acceptable side effect. It's a hard constraint we test around.
CREST-accredited · ICS, SCADA, and Industrial Networks
Through Operational Technology (OT) penetration testing, you can see exactly where your industrial control environment has gaps, without putting the process itself at risk. We evaluate the systems that monitor and control physical processes, including Industrial Control System (ICS), Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA), and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), using passive and active techniques calibrated for environments where availability isn’t negotiable.
Whether you’re validating segmentation between IT and OT, meeting a regulatory or insurance requirement, or simply want to know where your control environment stands, OT testing gives you the clarity to make informed decisions without gambling with uptime.
Our testing reveals more than a list of vulnerabilities. You’ll understand how patch management gaps, weak access controls, or flat network segmentation could let an attacker move from IT into OT, what that access could let them touch and affect, as well as which issues pose the greatest threat to your operations. Every finding comes with clear, practical recommendations your team can prioritize around your real production constraints.
You’ll know where you’re vulnerable, what it would take to exploit those weaknesses, and how to prioritize remediation based on real risk to your process, not theoretical scenarios
Fill out the form to scope your OT pentest.
Let's Talk About Your OT Environment
Tell us what your OT and ICS systems need and we’ll be in touch.
Our Penetration Testing Process
Thorough testing with business-focused analysis.
We identify attack paths, evaluate realistic impact to your operations, and provide prioritized guidance that aligns with your resources and goals.
![Pentesting Process [Recovered]](https://secureideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Pentesting-Process-Recovered.webp)
Security Systems Administrator
Energy
The Full Stack, From Physical to Application
OT penetration testing evaluates the security of systems that monitor and control physical processes in industrial environments, including ICS, SCADA, PLCs, and other specialized equipment. Testing covers patch management, access controls, network segmentation, and privilege escalation potential, all while exercising extreme care to avoid disrupting active production systems.
The typical OT penetration test includes the following:
Understand Before You Touch
Where the Real Risk Lives
Production Stays Running
1 Credit = Up to 1 Full Day of Expert Work
Purchase credits ahead of time, and arrange testing as you need it. Partnership-based security testing on your schedule. One credit gets you up to one full day of expert work from consultants who understand your business. Engage our team as needed with complete flexibility.
Ongoing advisory services included for no extra charge. No rigid scopes, real-time collaboration, and engagement tailored to your priorities.
Exclusively from Secure Ideas.
OT Incidents Aren’t Data Breaches, they Show Up as a Shutdown.
In IT, a compromise usually means stolen data. While in OT, an attack can mean a halted production line, a safety system pushed out of tolerance, or a physical process running somewhere it shouldn’t. Because the stakes are different, so too is the testing. An OT pentester searches for the same access control gaps, weak credentials, and flat network paths that IT testing looks for, but also has to accommodate for the fact that some of these systems have never been patched and were never designed to be probed.
The attack path is usually a chain, such as a forgotten remote access path into the OT network, a shared credential between IT and OT, and a gap in segmentation to stop lateral movement once someone’s in. Testing the boundary between your corporate network and your control environment is often the single highest-value thing you can do, because that’s the path most real-world OT incidents might really take.
Experience Across Critical Sectors
Manually tests web applications for vulnerabilities that automated scanners frequently miss, including business logic flaws, authentication and session management weaknesses, authorization bypass conditions, and data handling issues.
Guided by the OWASP Testing Guide and OWASP Top 10, our OT penetration testers have experience with the following industries:
What OT Testing Examines
Our OT testing examines ICS/SCADA environments, PLCs, and the network paths between corporate IT and your control systems. We identify how an attacker could reach critical processes and what they could do once there, using safe, non-disruptive methods aligned with IEC 62443 and NIST SP 800-82.
Deliverable: Each engagement includes a detailed report documenting vulnerabilities across the OT environment with actionable recommendations, prioritized around production impact.
Cybersecurity doesn’t price on a fixed menu, but you shouldn’t have to talk to sales just to know if you’re in the right neighborhood. Use the table below to estimate where your environment lands before you request a real scope
Note: We’ve written the scope descriptions below to reflect real examples of ICS/SCADA environments. The day ranges and pricing come directly from our current rate.
| Type | Scope | Flat Fee | PETaaS Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | Single PLC / HMI system on an isolated segment | 5-8 days / $13.6K–$21.8K | 5-8 credits / $12.6K–$20.2K |
| Moderate | Multiple ICS devices across one process line | 8-13 days / $21.8K–$35.4K | 8-13 credits / $20.2K–$32.8K |
| Complex | Multi-vendor ICS environment, several process lines | 13-18 days / $35.4K–$49K | 13-18 credits / $32.8K–$45.4K |
| Highly Complex | Enterprise-wide ICS / SCADA across multiple sites | 18-24+ days / $49K–$65.3K+ | 19-24+ credits / $45.4K–$60.5K+ |
Note: These are starting-point estimates to help you gauge investment, not a quote. Your actual scope and cost depend on your specific environment, equipment mix, and safety requirements.
An evaluation of your security program against the PCI Data Security Standard, covering PCI security assessments, self-assessment support, and advising on scope, applicability, and controls. You get direct access to a Qualified Security Assessor who speaks plainly and knows the standard inside and out.
Led by the “PCI Guy” himself – Jeff Man.
Beyond the Test
The Threat Landscape shifts even as your Control Environment stays the same.
OT environments move slower than IT, but they don’t stand still. Vendors do eventually patch, a contractor needs remote access that never gets removed, and the IT network sitting next to your OT network changes constantly. PETaaS® (Professionally Evil Testing as a Service) lets you deploy prepaid credits across OT testing, IT network testing, and advisory work as priorities shift, with advisory support built in at no additional cost.
A stable process doesn’t mean a stable risk profile. Keep testing the boundary.
OT Testing
Frequently
Asked
Questions
Have a question that isn’t answered here?
See our full FAQ page.
Will testing risk disrupting our production process?
We plan testing around production to avoid disruptions. We start testing with passive information gathering to understand your environment before any active testing begins. There is always a risk of disruption, but we take steps to prevent it. Active testing techniques and timing are scoped specifically to minimize risk to production availability, and Denial-of-Service (DoS) style attacks are excluded by default.
Is this different from a standard IT network pentest?
Yes. OT environments often run legacy equipment that was never designed to handle standard IT testing techniques. Our approach accounts for the unique performance, reliability, and safety requirements of industrial control systems.
Do you test the IT / OT boundary specifically?
Yes, and we typically recommend it. Most real-world OT incidents originate on the IT side and cross into OT through weak segmentation, shared credentials, or forgotten remote access paths.
How long does an OT pentest take?
Timelines scale with environment complexity, from about 5 days for a simple, isolated segment to 18 days or more for an enterprise-wide, multi-site ICS/SCADA environment. Your quote will include a specific timeline based on your equipment mix.
What industries do you have experience with?
Our team has hands-on experience across electrical utilities, natural gas, gas and oil, vehicle and automotive, food and beverage, and amusement, among other sectors.
Can we see a sample report from a Penetration Test?
Absolutely. Any reputable penetration testing company should provide sample reports upon request. Reports are your primary deliverable and should include an executive summary, testing narrative, detailed findings with risk ratings, replication steps for verification, and actionable remediation recommendations. Not all reports are created equal, so reviewing samples helps ensure the format and content meet your needs. Most companies will accommodate reasonable modifications to reporting formats.
What is Professionally Evil Testing as a Service (PETaaS®)?
PETaaS® is on-demand pentesting services, which provides you with continuous access to our penetration testing expertise rather than a one-time assessment. This approach offers on-demand or scheduled testing, which integrates with your software development lifecycle, and delivers regular vulnerability analysis with ongoing support. While it may initially appear more expensive than traditional testing, PETaaS® is significantly more cost-effective than hiring full-time security staff and provides proactive, real-time vulnerability identification.
Note: The industry lacks a standard definition for penetration testing as a service, so verify that your provider’s approach aligns with your expectations.
Other Pentesting Focuses
Network Penetration Test
Network Pentesting looks at whether an attacker could reach sensitive systems or data through your network, from inside or out. We can test external IP ranges, internal ranges, or a combination, using the same techniques adversaries would try. Our team can design engagements as assumed compromise, controls testing, red team exercises, or network segmentation reviews, depending on what you need to validate.
Trusted for company-driven and regulatory testing alike.
Application Penetration Test
Application Pentesting digs past the obvious and into how your app actually behaves under pressure. Choose a gray box test, a collaborative session with your dev team, SDLC-aligned testing, an authenticated scan, or whatever fits your release cycle. We cover the OWASP Top 10 and beyond, testing internal and external apps against PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOC, and other standards.
We find what the automated scan missed.
API Penetration Test
API Pentesting examines how your interfaces hold up against unauthorized access and abuse, not just whether they return the right response. Our consultants manually test authentication, authorization, and data handling across your endpoints, going beyond what documentation and automated scanners catch. We work to tailor engagements to your architecture, whether you’re testing one API or several that work together.
Manual testing built around how your API is actually used.
Mobile App Penetration Test
Mobile App Pentesting evaluates your app’s code, storage, and communication before it ever reaches your users. We manually assess how the app responds to different inputs, review the code for weaknesses, and attempt access using unauthorized credentials. Testing can run alongside API assessments when your mobile app and backend share risk.
Before it hits the app store, it hits our team.
IoT & Embedded Device Penetration Test
IoT & Embedded Device Pentesting calls for a different skill set: hardware, firmware, and assembly knowledge layered on top of standard application and API testing. Our consultants have hands-on experience with tons of devices, including door access systems, DVRs and IP cameras, medical devices, sensor nodes, and network appliances. We scope the engagement around the systems, services, and activities specific to your device.
Built for product launches and post-launch confidence alike.
Wireless Penetration Test
Wireless Pentesting takes a close look at your Wi-Fi implementation from three angles: configuration, authenticated access, and an external, unauthenticated perspective. We review your configuration exports for misconfigurations, validate authentication and segmentation controls, and test whether an outsider could capture and crack your pre-shared key. Testing can happen on-site or remotely using our SIAM devices, and these engagements pair nicely with an internal network pentest.
Remote testing options that cut cost and turnaround time.
Physical Penetration Test
Physical Pentesting tests whether your facility can withstand tailgating, social engineering, lock bypass, RFID cloning, and other real-world tactics. Our consultants start with reconnaissance, active and passive, before assessing entry points and physical controls in person. Choose a joint walkthrough, business hours testing, or after-hours building security testing, depending on what security measures you want evaluated.
Real-world tactics, tested with your safety in mind.
Recognized authority and trusted guidance built on years of uncovering risks for organizations like yours.
