OT Glossary

Industrial automation and control systems

Basically the same thing as ICS. It is the acronym formally used by the IEC 62443 standards to refer to the collection of personnel, hardware, software, and processes involved in controlling industrial automation.

Industrial control system

General term for control systems controlling industrial-scale processes with sensors, actuators, and controllers. It includes SCADA, DCS, PLC, and BAS.

Industrial control system cyber emergency response team

Formerly a stand-alone entity under the US Department of Homeland Security, ICS-CERT is now integrated into CISA. It’s a group that focuses on industrial control system security: issuing advisories on vulnerabilities, helping with incident response for critical infrastructure, etc. 

Intrusion detection system

 A security tool that monitors network or system activity for malicious or abnormal behavior and raises alerts. In ICS, an IDS often means a network intrusion detection appliance watching the control network traffic (possibly with ICS protocol awareness) to detect things like unusual commands or known malware signatures. A related tool is an IPS (intrusion prevention system) that can take some action to stop the attack in addition to alerting.

An international standard for substation automation and communication in the power industry. IEC 61850 defines how Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) in electrical substations communicate with each other in real-time. It introduced high-speed mechanisms like GOOSE (for protective relaying) and standard object models for substation equipment.

A series of international standards (originating from ISA-99) for ICS security. IEC 62443 provides a comprehensive framework for securing industrial automation and control systems, including guidance on processes and technical requirements for components and systems. It covers everything from how to segment networks into zones and conduits, to secure product development for control system vendors, and continuous maintenance. If someone references “62443 compliance” or “ISA/IEC 62443”, they’re talking about following these best practices for OT security.

Intelligent electronic devices

A smart device typically found in power grid environments that are monitoring some physical measurement and capable of performing some basic automated actions, like breaking open the circuit.

Industrial Internet of things

Refers to IoT technologies (sensors, connectivity, analytics) applied in industrial contexts. IIoT involves networks of smart devices and sensors in factories, energy grids, etc., that collect and share data for monitoring and optimization. Examples: wireless vibration sensors on motors feeding data to cloud analytics for predictive maintenance; or smart meters and smart grid devices in utilities. The IIoT concept often ties into Industry 4.0 and digital transformation: essentially using internet-connected devices to make industrial operations more intelligent and efficient. (It also expands the attack surface of OT networks, hence the security concern around it.)

Incident response

The process and team for handling cybersecurity incidents. In an OT scenario, Incident Response means the procedures to follow when a control system is suspected of being compromised or attacked. This could involve isolating affected systems (without unintentionally halting the plant), investigating malware on an HMI, coordinating with operations to safely shut down if needed, and recovering systems. IR in ICS has the added complexity of potential safety and process impacts. Many organizations create an IR plan specific to their ICS, and some have a designated ICS-CERT or similar partnership for expertise. Having an IR plan ensures you’re not scrambling without a clue when something bad happens in your OT network.

Information technology

Technology dealing with information systems, data processing, business applications, and enterprise networks. This is the office/corporate side like emails, databases, websites, user workstations, etc. IT is typically concerned with confidentiality and integrity of data, and uses standard protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP, etc.) and enterprise software (ERP, cloud services). It’s often contrasted with OT (Operational Technology), which deals with the control of physical processes. While IT manages your company’s data and communications, OT runs the plant or factory. The convergence of the two (IT/OT integration) is a hot topic as companies want to funnel production data to IT systems for analysis, while keeping the production safe.