Incident Response in an OT Context
Goals
- You will be capable of defining what constitutes an incident in an OT environment, including cyber-attacks, equipment failures, unauthorized access, and malicious manipulation of control systems
- You will understand the importance of having an Incident Response (IR) plan tailored specifically for OT systems and why traditional IT-based incident response strategies are insufficient for OT environments
- You will be able to identify the key differences between IT and OT incident response, particularly in relation to operational continuity, safety risks, and the real-time requirements of OT systems explaining the unique challenges in OT incident response, such as the real-time nature of OT systems, limited visibility into OT environments, interdependencies between IT and OT, and safety risks associated with OT failures
- You will recognize the human safety consequences of OT cybersecurity incidents and how they differ from the impacts of IT system breaches
- You will understand and explain the stages of incident response in OT, from preparation through post-incident analysis, and why each phase is critical for minimizing damage and restoring operations
- You will be evaluating the challenges and solutions demonstrated in real-world OT incident responses, including the role of specialized tools, team coordination, and safety considerations understanding the significance of regulatory compliance in OT incident response, including how to meet the requirements of industry standards
- You will be analyzing real-world case studies to understand how OT organizations have responded to cybersecurity incidents, such as a ransomware attack on a power plant or a cyber-attack on a manufacturing facility
Course Slides
California Department of Technology Incident Response Plan Example:

Exercices
In the related exercice section, you will experience the use of concepts presented in the slides.
Links
- Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems, NIST Special Publication 800-34 Rev. 1
- Computer Security Incident Handling Guide, Special Publication 800-61 Rev. 3
- Computer Security Incident Handling Guide, Special Publication 800-61 Rev. 2 (withdrawn)
- Guide to Operational Technology (OT) Security
- IoT Device Cybersecurity Guidance for the Federal Government, Special Publication 800-213A
- Technical Resilience Navigator, Site Planning, U.S. Department of Energy

