About OTLab

OTLab (Operational Technology Laboratory) is an open-source educational initiative dedicated to practical learning in Industrial Cybersecurity, with a focus on Operational Technology (OT) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS).

The project provides reproducible laboratory environments based on Docker, designed to support education, training, and research in the security of critical infrastructures and industrial systems. Through a practical, hands-on approach inspired by real-world scenarios, participants can explore technologies, protocols, and methodologies commonly used in OT/ICS environments.

The laboratories are designed to provide accessible, secure, and consistent learning experiences, allowing users to deploy and execute scenarios locally without requiring complex infrastructure.

Vision

To promote a culture of security in industrial environments by providing modern, accessible, and technically rigorous educational resources, helping to prepare the next generation of industrial cybersecurity professionals.

International Context

OTLab is an educational and research-oriented project focused on developing industrial cybersecurity competencies and promoting security best practices for critical infrastructures.

Developed within the framework of an international collaboration with the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Brazil, the project brings together academic knowledge, practical experience, and innovative teaching methodologies to support students, educators, researchers, and industry professionals.

This initiative is aligned with the objectives of the CYBERENG001 – Industrial Cybersecurity for Engineers educational project, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Luiz F. Freitas-Gutierres, promoting a multidisciplinary approach to securing industrial systems and critical infrastructure.

Mission

The mission of OTLab is to make industrial cybersecurity learning:

  • Practical, through locally deployable laboratories;
  • Accessible, with open documentation and freely available resources;
  • Reproducible, using containerization technologies;
  • Collaborative, encouraging participation from academic and professional communities;
  • Sustainable, through docs-as-code methodologies, automation, and continuous integration.

Objectives

The project aims to:

  • Facilitate the learning of fundamental OT and ICS concepts;
  • Promote industrial cybersecurity best practices;
  • Provide practical laboratories for education and research;
  • Support the development of students and professionals;
  • Encourage international collaboration and knowledge sharing;
  • Contribute to the protection of critical infrastructure.

Technical Scope

The laboratories cover a wide range of industrial networking and cybersecurity topics, including:

  • OT/ICS asset discovery and inventory;
  • Industrial protocols such as Modbus/TCP and Siemens S7;
  • PLC, RTU, and SCADA/HMI emulation;
  • Industrial network segmentation and architecture;
  • Secure remote access and jump hosts;
  • Industrial traffic capture and analysis;
  • OT monitoring and observability;
  • Anomaly detection and threat identification;
  • Vulnerability management;
  • Incident response in industrial environments.

Methodology

OTLab follows a hands-on learning approach that enables participants to:

  1. Study core theoretical concepts;
  2. Deploy and execute laboratory environments;
  3. Explore scenarios inspired by real industrial infrastructures;
  4. Analyze industrial communications and protocols;
  5. Apply monitoring and defensive techniques;
  6. Develop practical skills relevant to professional environments.

Open Source and Community

The project is developed according to the principles of transparency, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. Community contributions are encouraged through:

  • Documentation improvements and corrections;
  • Development of new laboratory scenarios;
  • Content translation and internationalization;
  • Issue reporting and feedback;
  • Sharing experiences and case studies.

License

Project content is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.

This license allows users to copy, distribute, adapt, and reuse the content for any purpose, including commercial use, provided appropriate attribution is given to the project and its contributors.