The ICS Security Landscape
IT versus OT, the five myths, risk, defence in depth, IEC 62443 and NIST for ICS, with Stuxnet and Triton.
ICS/OT Cybersecurity Fundamentals
Most Plant Networks Have a Path From an Ordinary Email to a Physical Process. Learn to Find It, and Close It.
The defensive foundation for industrial systems, built on IEC 62443: zones and conduits, OT-safe monitoring, incident response and risk assessment, explained for people from the plant floor and from IT.
ICS/OT Cybersecurity Fundamentals
The full course, 24 downloadable tools, an IEC 62443 exam-prep section and a full-length prep test
Total value US$275
$197 USD one-time
Half price, only with this order
Already have an HKSM account? Use the same email at checkout and the course is added to it.Five Beliefs That Leave Plants Exposed
Most plants are not exposed because nobody cares. They are exposed because of five beliefs that used to be true.
"We are not connected to the internet." Converters, remote vendor access and historians connect most plant networks to something, and the drawing from five years ago shows none of it.
"The firewall protects us." A firewall whose rules nobody has reviewed since commissioning is not a boundary.
"Attackers do not understand our systems." The tools to find exposed industrial devices are public, and Modbus was designed in 1979 with no authentication.
"We are too small to be a target." Ransomware groups choose plants because every hour of downtime has a price.
"Our systems would notice." Control systems detect process faults, not attackers. A malicious command looks like an operator's.
None of these started as a mistake. The technology, the tools and the attackers changed. The beliefs did not.
Who This Course Is For
Control systems engineers and automation technicians handed ICS security responsibility, who need a foundation that works in an OT environment.
IT security professionals moving into OT, who know the frameworks but have never worked with industrial protocols or control systems.
Plant managers and operations leads who need to judge ICS cyber risk, approve security budgets and brief executives without relying entirely on vendors.
OT and operations staff preparing for an audit under NERC CIP, NIS2 or the TSA pipeline directives, who need to know what auditors expect.
Professionals moving into an ICS/OT security role who want the conceptual foundation before an industry certification.
Before You Start
You should know what a PLC, an HMI and SCADA are. No cyber security background is needed. New to industrial control systems? Start with our free Industrial Control Systems Introduction course, then come back. It is also linked inside your course access.
What You Will Be Able to Do
- Design a zone and conduit model for an industrial network, place an industrial DMZ, and assign a security level to each zone
- Explain why OT security puts safety and availability first, and make that case to IT teams and management without starting from scratch
- Build an asset inventory with passive monitoring, without sending a single probe into a live control network
- Run an OT incident response that checks process safety before containment, so isolating a system never creates a more dangerous situation
- Apply the IEC 62443 risk assessment workflow to define a system, score zone risk, and set security level targets
- Trace real attacks, from Stuxnet to PIPEDREAM, to the specific control that would have stopped each one
What Is Inside: 71 Video Lectures in Ten Sections, Plus Exam Prep
Knowing Your ICS Security Environment
People and awareness, the five-level reference model, roles, governance and the asset model, with Industroyer.
Zones, Conduits, and Security Levels
Reference architecture, zones, conduits and security levels, a full SCADA design example, and Colonial Pipeline.
The ICS Security Program
The cybersecurity lifecycle, program elements, maturity, what is mandatory and what is not, supply chain risk, and NotPetya.
Visibility, Detection, and Response
Asset visibility and discovery, detecting threats in OT traffic, patching without stopping production, OT incident response, and the German steel mill.
OT Network Security Devices and Architecture
Why industrial networks are vulnerable, firewall classes, defence in depth, IDS, IPS and data diodes, and DMZ architecture.
OT Connectivity Security
VPNs, secure remote access with jump servers and MFA, default credentials, and wireless in OT.
ICS Protocol Architecture and Security
Modbus, OPC Classic, OPC UA, and PIPEDREAM, the malware that spoke to PLCs directly.
Risk Assessment for ICS System Design
Defining the system under consideration, the risk equation, security level vectors, and turning risk into architecture with IEC 62443-3-3.
Third-Party Security in ICS
Service provider roles, evaluating providers against the twelve IEC 62443-2-4 areas, buying secure products, security profiles, and Dragonfly.
IEC 62443 Exam Preparation
Eight short lectures on what IEC 62443 exams test: the lifecycle, the CSMS, the substandards, the ZCR workflow, the FR vector, compensating countermeasures and role mapping, with study aids on screen.
Nine Real Incidents, Each Tied to the Control That Failed
Stuxnet. Triton. Industroyer. Colonial Pipeline. NotPetya. The German steel mill. PIPEDREAM. Dragonfly. And more. Each is told in full, then traced to the specific control that would have broken the attack chain.
Everything You Get
- The Full Video Course 71 video lectures across ten sections plus the IEC 62443 exam-prep section, close to six hours. Every topic from zones and conduits to third-party risk, and nine real incidents traced to the control that failed.US$197
- IEC 62443 Exam Study Aids The exam quick reference and the questions-and-traps drill: the terms, the substandards and the questions candidates most often get wrong, on two pages you can print.US$29
- 22 Downloadable Checklists, Worksheets and Quick References Zone and conduit design, OT DMZ design and secure remote access checklists. The ICS risk assessment worksheet, the zone security level gap analysis and the default credential audit. An OT incident response plan template. Quick references for IT versus OT, IEC 62443, NIST CSF for OT, ICS protocols and security level vectors. Cards for asset discovery, patching, awareness training and third-party security, and the ICS certification roadmap.US$49
- Free bonus: The ICS/OT Cybersecurity Fundamentals Prep Test 70 questions across the whole curriculum, 140 minutes, a 70 percent pass mark, in practice mode or as a timed simulation. Free on our site, and linked inside your course.FREE
- Free bonus: Industrial Control Systems Introduction Our free course, linked in your access: 25 short lessons on PLCs, HMIs, SCADA and industrial networks, for anyone who wants the basics first.FREE
Total value: US$275
Your price: $197 USD One payment. No subscription.
Half price, only with this order
Who It Is Not For
It is not a penetration testing or hacking course, and there is no lab with live controllers. If you already lead OT risk assessments every week, most of it will be familiar.
Our 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Take the course for 30 days. If it is not what you needed and you have completed half of the course or less, write to us through the Contact page and ask for a refund. You get your money back in full, no argument.
The risk is ours, not yours. The same terms are in our refund policy.
Read the Refund Policy and Terms and Policies. Questions? Contact HK School of Management and Technology.
Questions
Do I need a cyber security background?
No. The course explains every security concept in terms that work whether you come from the plant floor or from IT.
Do I need to know industrial control systems already?
Yes, the basics: what a PLC, an HMI and SCADA do. If that is new, take our free Industrial Control Systems Introduction course first.
Will this make us compliant with NERC CIP, NIS2 or the TSA directives?
No course can. Compliance is decided against your whole program. The course explains what each regulation requires and which ones apply to which sectors, so you can take part in that conversation with substance.
Does it prepare me for an IEC 62443 exam?
It includes an exam-prep section that reviews what IEC 62443 exams test, with study aids on screen, and a full-length prep test of 70 questions you can take in practice mode or as a timed simulation. It does not certify you, and it does not replace the official preparation for any specific certification.
Is there hands-on lab work?
No. The course is video lectures, quizzes and downloadable tools. There is no PLC hardware, no SCADA software and no penetration testing.
How long does it take?
Close to six hours of video, self-paced. You can work through a section at a time and come back when a real decision lands on your desk.
What if it is not for me?
You are covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee. If you have completed half of the course or less, write to us through the Contact page within 30 days and we refund you in full.
Are there any additional costs?
No. One payment of US$197. No subscription.
Find the Path Before Someone Else Does
Somewhere on most plant networks there is a path from an ordinary email to a physical process. This course shows you how to find it, and how to close it.