OT security lab

OT security simulator: defend a plant network in your browser

Plant networks run pumps, drives and safety systems, and keeping them apart from the office network is a defence job. The OT security lab in EDWartens Lab is a free practice room for that job: zones, rules, detection and response, on a fictional plant.

Open the lab free See the whole lab

Free with a free EDWartens account. Runs in your browser. The lab is in beta.

Network cables plugged into a device — The OT security lab is about defending a plant network.

What the OT security simulator does

You work on a fictional plant and a simulated network. Each job starts with a work order, and an automatic acceptance test marks the result. The lab teaches defence only: zones and conduits, rules, detection and response. It is a training model of defence ideas, not a security assessment and not a certification.

3D view of Zones and conduits: split a flat network — Zones and conduits: split a flat network

Eight levels, from the map to the drill

The lab has eight levels. You place every device on its Purdue level and find the DMZ, then split a flat network into zones joined by the fewest conduits. You write the fewest firewall allow-rules that keep production running, remove the old open rules and deny everything else, and you route a vendor's remote session through the DMZ with approval, a named account, a time limit and a recording.

The later levels cover reading a day of plant logs to flag the few events that matter, choosing what to patch and what to protect inside a short maintenance window, planning backups and proving a restore, and running the response to a simulated note on an operator screen without stopping the plant unsafely.

Safety stays first

In a plant, the safety systems protect people. The response level asks you to contain the problem without stopping the plant unsafely, and it marks the order of your steps.

Free, and part of the SCADA internship

Opening the lab, doing the levels and passing the acceptance tests are free with a free EDWartens account. The lab is in beta. OT security tasks also count inside the SCADA and HMI Internship, where week 7 on networks and security offers them as optional practice.

How it works

Create a free EDWartens account, or sign in if you already have one.
Open Map the plant network and put each device on its level.
Split the flat network into zones and conduits.
Write the firewall rules and set up remote access through the DMZ.
Read the logs, plan the backups and run the drill.

Labs to open for this

Map the plant network: put every device on its levelOT security lab
Zones and conduits: split a flat networkOT security lab
Firewall rules: the minimum, then deny by defaultOT security lab
Incident drill: a simulated note on an operator screenOT security lab

Browse all labs (free account needed to open them).

Questions people ask

Is there a free OT security simulator?

Yes. The OT security lab in EDWartens Lab is a free practice room that runs in your browser. You need a free EDWartens account. You map a plant network, set zones and firewall rules and pass an automatic acceptance test.

Does it teach hacking?

No. The lab teaches defence only: zones and conduits, firewall rules, remote access control, detection from logs, patching choices, backups and response.

What is the Purdue model?

It is a way to lay out a plant network in levels, from the field devices at level 0 up to the business systems. The first level of the lab has you place each device on its level.

Is it a certification?

No. It is practice on a fictional plant. It is not a security assessment and not a certification.

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