Incident Response
In OT, incident response is not just a cybersecurity function. It is an operational capability. When something goes wrong, the priorities are clear: protect people, stabilise the process, and restore safe operation as quickly as possible. That requires more than a generic IT playbook. It requires procedures that match how industrial environments actually run.
Arista Cyber helps organisations prepare OT systems for effective detection, containment, and recovery from cyber incidents. The focus is on practical readiness: knowing what to look for, defining roles to understand who does what, how decisions get made under pressure, and how to bring systems back safely without creating new risk. In many cases, the difference between a short disruption and a prolonged shutdown comes down to whether the teams have rehearsed a realistic response plan before the incident occurs.
Most industrial sites already have some form of incident response documentation. The problem is that OT introduces conditions that make "copy and paste from IT" unreliable. Legacy devices may not support modern logging. Vendor systems may have strict support boundaries. Maintenance windows may be limited. Safety systems and control dependencies mean that quick isolation actions can carry real operational consequences. Response planning has to respect all of that.
Incident response preparation is ultimately about reducing confusion when time matters. A strong OT response capability gives teams structure: how incidents are detected, how they are triaged, what containment is safe, and what recovery looks like for control systems and plant operations.
DETECT FAST, CONTAIN EFFECTIVELY, RECOVER CONFIDENTLY PURPOSE-BUILT FOR OT. STRENGTHENING INDUSTRIAL RESILIENCE THROUGH RAPID AND RELIABLE INCIDENT RESPONSE.
Why It Matters for Critical
Infrastructure
In IT networks, an unpatched server can put data at risk.
In OT environments, an unknown PLC or a compromised HMI can put people, production, and safety at risk.
The devices no one is tracking are usually the ones that cause trouble. If you know what is connected to your network, where it lives in the process, and how it behaves, you're far better prepared to avoid slip-ups that interrupt production or put safety under pressure.
Compliance frameworks like IEC 62443 and NERC CIP expect organisations to maintain an accurate, up-to-date inventory of OT assets. Being able to show what exists on your network and how each system is managed makes audit preparation far smoother.
When something does go wrong, time is critical. Knowing exactly which device triggered an alert, along with its role, location, and communication paths, shortens incident response and supports continuity of operations.
Why OT Incident Response Needs a Different Approach
In IT environments, it is often possible to isolate systems immediately and restore from backups. In OT, "pull the plug" decisions can affect process control, safety functions, or production continuity. A rushed containment step can interrupt critical operations. A poorly planned recovery can bring systems back in an unstable state or reintroduce compromised configurations.
OT incident response should answer practical, on-the-ground questions, such as:
- 1. What signals should trigger investigation, and who reviews them.
- 2. Which actions are safe to take immediately, and which require operations approval.
- 3. How to coordinate with vendors and third parties without losing control of access
- 4. What evidence should be preserved without interfering with production
- 5. How to restore systems safely and avoid repeat incidents
Incident response becomes much more reliable when the technical work and operational decision-making are planned together.
What "Good" Looks Like in an OT Incident
A strong OT incident response capability is not defined by perfect prevention. It is defined by speed, clarity, and safe execution.
In practice, that means:
- 1.Clear roles and escalation paths so work does not stall
- 2.Detection signals and thresholds that teams trust,
- 3.Containment options that are safe for the process, not only safe for data
- 4.Recovery steps that focus on stable operations, not just system restoration
- 5.Post-incident reviews that turn into real improvements, not generic summaries
Incident response becomes much more reliable when the technical work and operational decision-making are planned together.
Key Advantages
1.Reduce downtime and operational impact during incidents.
Clear roles, predefined triage steps, and OT-safe containment actions help reduce hesitation and minimise disruption. When teams know what actions are acceptable and who must approve them, response time improves, and the plant is less likely to remain in an uncertain state.
2.Strengthen detection and response procedures.
OT-specific procedures improve how teams recognise abnormal behaviour, confirm incidents, and act with confidence. This includes defining what "unusual" looks like in your environment, how to validate alerts, and how to move from suspicion to action without unnecessary disruption.
3.Align with industry standards for OT incident response.
A structured approach supports governance expectations and helps organisations build repeatable response processes that can be reviewed, improved, and defended during audits or internal assessments.
Detect fast. Contain effectively. Recover confidently. Built for OT.
Deliverables
OT incident response plan
A working plan that spells out who takes the lead, who gets called, and what decisions need approval in an OT context. It also clarifies how OT, IT, and operations coordinate, so there's no confusion when the first alert comes in.
Playbooks and runbooks for key OT systems
Short, scenario-based guides for the systems that matter most. These are written for real use during pressure, with practical steps for triage, safe containment options, and a recovery sequence that does not create extra instability.
Training and tabletop exercises
Facilitated sessions that let teams practice responses without risking production. After the exercise, you get a list of improvements that are specific and actionable, not generic feedback.
Our Approach
1) Review current response capability
We look at what you already have in place: who watches for signals, how escalation works today, and how OT incidents are handled when they involve IT, vendors, or plant leadership. This usually surfaces where the response is dependent on one person's knowledge or where the process is unclear.
We also note constraints that affect response in OT, like vendor support boundaries, limited logging, or recovery steps that take longer because of legacy systems.
2) Build OT-ready procedures
We put OT-safe response steps in writing: how to triage, what containment actions are acceptable, how to handle evidence, how to manage vendor involvement, and how to plan recovery in a controlled way.
This is also where "do we isolate?" decisions get handled properly. We define when isolation is reasonable, when it could cause operational harm, and what alternatives exist when you cannot simply disconnect equipment.
3) Test the plan with realistic scenarios
We run a tabletop exercise that reflects real conditions, not ideal ones. Signals can be unclear. Decisions have trade-offs. Vendors might be involved. Operations still need to stay stable.
After the exercise, we capture what worked and what didn't, then convert that into improvements your team can implement, such as runbook changes, escalation updates, monitoring gaps to close, or access controls to tighten.
Highlights
- ✔ Shorter downtime through clearer response steps
- ✔ Better preparedness across OT and operations teams
- ✔ More reliable recovery after incidents
Ready to Strengthen OT Incident Response?
When an incident hits, you want decisions to be familiar, not improvised. The goal is a response plan your teams can follow calmly, even under pressure. OT environments demand calm, structured response actions that protect operations while security teams investigate and contain risk.
Arista Cyber helps you build incident response readiness that fits the way your plant operates: clear roles, practical procedures, and rehearsed scenarios that prepare teams to act with confidence when time matters.
If you want to strengthen detection, containment, and recovery for OT systems, we can help you establish a plan and runbooks your teams can rely on.
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