SimSpace collaborated with a global cybersecurity provider to standardize Operational Technology (OT) testing by replacing ad-hoc, risky security assessments with a structured 10-Phase Operational Lifecycle and the reusable PLC Modular Framework in a realistic replica of the production environment. Evaluated against a Modbus TCP programmable logic controller (PLC) governing an industrial Autonomous Guided Vehicle (AGV), the methodology enforces strict “passive before active” safety gates and a two-document reporting pattern. This ensures protocol-level findings and verified physical impacts are tested and reported separately without risking unmonitored hardware damage or process disruption.
The live engagement uncovered three distinct protocol-level vulnerabilities—unvalidated software safety limits, persistent coordinate injection, and unauthenticated coil access—each independently confirmed to produce measurable physical motion on the AGV. Beyond identifying these risks, the assessment validated the framework’s self-correcting heuristics and multi-threaded reliability, establishing a safe, repeatable standard that accelerates future OT Red Team assessments, Blue Team asset mapping, and cyber range validation.
