Hardware & OT Security Consultant

Pen Test Partners; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

24 development days per year

Conference attendance

Paid training and exams

Blog bounty programme

HTB/TryHackMe access

Job summary

Pen Test Partners in the United Kingdom is seeking a hardware and OT security consultant focused on operational technology. You will spend time in control rooms, substations, warehouses and vessels, supporting engineers who run those systems.

The role suits someone early in their career with a solid networking foundation and a willingness to work on site across the UK and internationally. Experience with SCADA/OT platforms and hardware security is valued.

Qualifications

• Awareness of industrial control system and operational technology architectures, components and protocols, such as Modbus, DNP3, IEC 104, IEC 61850 and OPC UA
• Network and infrastructure penetration testing skills, including segmentation testing and review of switch, router and firewall configuration
• Strong network protocol analysis using tools such as Wireshark
• Excellent ability to learn new technologies, systems and languages
• Ability to script in appropriate languages to facilitate testing
• A keen interest in embedded systems, IoT and hardware
• Willingness to work on client sites across the UK and internationally, and to hold your own with the engineers and operators who run the systems being tested
• Experience working with SCADA and control system platforms, such as GE PowerOn, AVEVA System Platform or Siemens WinCC
• Demonstrated hardware security skills, either in a professional or hobbyist sphere
• An understanding of reverse engineering, experience using tools such as Ghidra, with particular focus on ARM and x86 architectures
• Penetration testing skills in web application, API and mobile applications
• Threat modelling knowledge, being able to determine which attacks and assets are highest risk for different classes of system
• Experience in analysing RF protocols such as BLE, Zigbee, LoRa, Wi-Fi, and proprietary ISM band protocols
• An understanding of cryptography and common mistakes made
• Familiarity with IEC 62443 and similar frameworks
• Experience working in industrial, utility, warehouse or maritime environments, either as a pen tester, IT, engineering, or operations role

Responsibilities

• Reporting into the Head of Hardware delivering OT, hardware and pen testing services, from presales through to delivery and debrief
• Contributing towards research and our development of internal tools and processes
• Helping to upskill others into the hardware and OT team

Skills

Industrial control systems

Networking basics

Live systems testing

Threat modelling

Reverse engineering mindset

Embedded systems interest

Willingness to travel

SCADA/OT awareness

Cryptography knowledge

Tools

Wireshark

Ghidra

GE PowerOn

AVEVA System Platform

Siemens WinCC

Job description

PTP works with clients globally providing cyber security consultancy and testing services. Our hardware and OT team works in some of the most demanding environments there are. That means electricity distribution networks, critical national infrastructure, automated warehouses, ships and offshore installations.

We are seeking a hardware and OT security consultant to join the team. The role is weighted towards operational technology. You will spend a good part of your time in control rooms, substations, warehouses and vessels, working alongside the engineers who keep those systems running.

We are open to someone earlier in their career who has the right foundation and wants to build on it. A solid grasp of networking, a careful approach to live systems and a willingness to get used to working on site count for more than years of experience.

You will need

• Awareness of industrial control system and operational technology architectures, components and protocols, such as Modbus, DNP3, IEC 104, IEC 61850 and OPC UA
• Network and infrastructure penetration testing skills, including segmentation testing and review of switch, router and firewall configuration
• Strong network protocol analysis using tools such as Wireshark
• Excellent ability to learn new technologies, systems and languages
• Ability to script in appropriate languages to facilitate testing
• A keen interest in embedded systems, IoT and hardware
• Willingness to work on client sites across the UK and internationally, and to hold your own with the engineers and operators who run the systems being tested
• Experience working with SCADA and control system platforms, such as GE PowerOn, AVEVA System Platform or Siemens WinCC
• Demonstrated hardware security skills, either in a professional or hobbyist sphere
• An understanding of reverse engineering, experience using tools such as Ghidra, with particular focus on ARM and x86 architectures
• Penetration testing skills in web application, API and mobile applications
• Threat modelling knowledge, being able to determine which attacks and assets are highest risk for different classes of system
• Experience in analysing RF protocols such as BLE, Zigbee, LoRa, Wi-Fi, and proprietary ISM band protocols
• An understanding of cryptography and common mistakes made
• Familiarity with IEC 62443 and similar frameworks
• Experience working in industrial, utility, warehouse or maritime environments, either as a pen tester, IT, engineering, or operations role

You will be

• Reporting into the Head of Hardware delivering OT, hardware and pen testing services, from presales through to delivery and debrief
• Contributing towards research and our development of internal tools and processes
• Helping to upskill others into the hardware and OT team

Examples of the services you may provide

• Reviewing the network design of a distribution network operator against a zones and conduits model, from the control centre out to primary and secondary substations
• Working in live IC S environments using a risk-averse methodology, using document review, visual survey and low-risk techniques to find security issues
• Reviewing firewall rule bases and management platform configuration across a substation estate
• Testing network segmentation and infrastructure on a variety of ships, including cruise ships and oil rigs
• Assessing an automated warehouse, from the warehouse control system down to the conveyors, cranes and autonomous mobile robots on the floor
• Lab-based testing of routers, RTUs and control systems before they are deployed across critical national infrastructure, using more aggressive and invasive techniques than a live environment allows, to ensure they are suitably protected from physical attack and contain no secrets that impact the wider system
• Reverse engineering the protocol used in a legacy specialised machine tool to allow it to be serviceable long into the future
• Producing a threat model for a complex system, aiming to uncover inherent outstanding risks in the design and implementation
• Penetration testing of a cloud-connected IoT system including the device, messaging platforms, infrastructure, and mobile application

Development

Knowledge development is part of our culture. We take professional development seriously and as a member of the team you will receive:

• 24 development days per year
• Time to go to conferences
• Access to internal workshops, HTB, TryHackMe and many more resources
• Paid training and exams
• Access to our blog bounty programme

Where you will work

Around one third of your days will be on site over a year. That average hides a lot of variation. Site work is bursty and driven by client requirements. A busy month might see you away for most of it, up to around 75% of your working days. A quieter month might see none at all. Site visits are planned well in advance and onsite work is distributed across the team appropriately. PTP are mindful that people have a life outside of work.

Sites include substations, control centres, ports, warehouses, vessels and offshore installations, in the UK and internationally. We may also ask you into the lab to work on equipment that is too large or too awkward to ship, such as control cabinets and rack-mounted systems. The rest of the time you will work from home.

Although we are a remote working company, our teams meet regularly throughout the year holding local and company meet ups.

As an employee you will also have access to:

• An opportunity to buy and sell holiday each year
• Private medical insurance and healthcare benefit
• 4 x salary life insurance
• Financing for training and conference attendance
• An environment where you can flourish, learn, and grow, as a person not just as an employee

This is a UK role, so you must live and be eligible to work in the UK.