Case Study
Cybersecurity, Vulnerability & Threat Assessment
And Gap Analysis
A large rail company in the Middle East
How Shieldworkz Secured a Major Middle Eastern Rail Operator
Critical transportation systems are a prime target for modern cyber adversaries. A single undetected intrusion in rail networks can disrupt timetables, delay cargo, expose passenger data, and, in worst cases, threaten safety. Shieldworkz partnered with a major Middle East rail operator to perform a safe, production-first cybersecurity, vulnerability and threat assessment, then turned findings into a prioritized, auditable remediation program that protected people, preserved service continuity and satisfied regulatory expectations.
Why this case study matters
Rail systems are unique: they combine fieldborne radio networks, time distribution and signaling, safety-critical control logic, passenger services like PA/PIS and fare collection, and corporate IT integrations. That breadth creates multiple attack vectors, and time-critical consequences. A cyber incident can disrupt service, endanger passengers, and trigger reputational or regulatory fallout during high-stakes events.
A targeted OT/ICS assessment does three immediate things you need:
Reveal blind spots across radio, signaling, SCADA and passenger systems.
Prioritize remediation where it reduces safety and operational risk fastest.
Provide auditable evidence for boards, regulators and event planners that systems are resilient.
If your operation runs distributed field equipment, third-party vendors, or public-facing communications, this assessment is the first defensible step toward operational continuity.
Why download this case study
If you are responsible for rail, transit, or any large distributed transport network, this case study gives you:
A real-world, step-by-step blueprint for performing OT security work without risking passenger service.
Actionable prioritization logic that translates technical findings into business consequences (downtime, safety exposure, reputational risk).
Playback-ready executive material, the concise phrasing and metrics used to justify remediation budgets and vendor changes.
Proven playbooks for vendor remote access, public Wi-Fi, signaling system hardening, and platform-screen-door integration.
This is not academic, it’s the work plan actual operational teams used to close gaps while the system remained online.
Key findings, practical discoveries that changed priorities
Across the tram and rail estate we assessed, several repeatable issues emerged that most transport operators should watch for:
Undocumented wireless and radio endpoints (trackside BBRS & Wi-Fi) that exposed signaling-adjacent systems to lateral movement.
Weak vendor remote access and shared credentials used during maintenance windows.
Inconsistent segmentation between corporate systems (ticketing, payroll) and operational subsystems (SCADA, signaling), enabling escalation paths.
Legacy firmware and unsupported devices with high exploitability scores that required compensating controls rather than immediate replacement.
Insufficient incident playbooks for rail-specific scenarios (signal degradation, PIS failures, fare-system compromise).
Each issue was mapped to an operational impact and remediated with low-disruption controls, for example, enforcing jump-host vendor access, isolating passenger Wi-Fi from operational networks, and deploying protocol-aware monitoring on signaling subnets.
Key takeaways from the case study
Inventory is the new frontline. A validated asset list reduces time-to-mitigation when advisories are published. Recent national guidance highlights asset inventory as a core control.
Start passive, move surgical. Passive discovery finds most blind spots without risking controllers; targeted active testing should be planned in maintenance windows.
Prioritize business impact over CVE count. Fix controllers and communication links that would directly halt service or endanger safety before lower-impact IT vulnerabilities.
Vendor access kills or saves uptime. Locking down remote access paths and instituting strict logging and session-control yields fast risk reduction.
Make remediation auditable and repeatable. Tie every fix to an owner, ticket and validation artifact for regulatory and board reporting.
How Shieldworkz supports rail operators like you
Shieldworkz supports rail operators by combining deep OT expertise with a strong understanding of the rail industry’s unique challenges. Our team uses safe discovery tools and OT-aware analysts familiar with signaling protocols and radio systems. We conduct targeted threat hunting across transit applications such as passenger Wi-Fi, PIS, and AFC, while our operational playbooks align fixes with maintenance schedules and change-control processes. We provide validation and governance packages that meet regulatory and executive requirements, along with ongoing advisory and managed detection services. Acting as an extension of your engineering and security teams, we prioritize passenger safety, reliability, and cyber resilience.
Ready to make your rail network demonstrably safer?
Download the full case study to get the executive brief, prioritized remediation checklist, and validation playbook used to secure a major tram network. Shieldworkz also offers a complimentary scoping call to define a production-safe rapid assessment tailored to your network segments. Fill out the form to download the case study and schedule your free briefing. Protect passengers, preserve uptime, and prove your readiness for high-profile events.
Download your copy today!
How Shieldworkz Secured a Major Middle Eastern Rail Operator
Critical transportation systems are a prime target for modern cyber adversaries. A single undetected intrusion in rail networks can disrupt timetables, delay cargo, expose passenger data, and, in worst cases, threaten safety. Shieldworkz partnered with a major Middle East rail operator to perform a safe, production-first cybersecurity, vulnerability and threat assessment, then turned findings into a prioritized, auditable remediation program that protected people, preserved service continuity and satisfied regulatory expectations.
Why this case study matters
Rail systems are unique: they combine fieldborne radio networks, time distribution and signaling, safety-critical control logic, passenger services like PA/PIS and fare collection, and corporate IT integrations. That breadth creates multiple attack vectors, and time-critical consequences. A cyber incident can disrupt service, endanger passengers, and trigger reputational or regulatory fallout during high-stakes events.
A targeted OT/ICS assessment does three immediate things you need:
Reveal blind spots across radio, signaling, SCADA and passenger systems.
Prioritize remediation where it reduces safety and operational risk fastest.
Provide auditable evidence for boards, regulators and event planners that systems are resilient.
If your operation runs distributed field equipment, third-party vendors, or public-facing communications, this assessment is the first defensible step toward operational continuity.
Why download this case study
If you are responsible for rail, transit, or any large distributed transport network, this case study gives you:
A real-world, step-by-step blueprint for performing OT security work without risking passenger service.
Actionable prioritization logic that translates technical findings into business consequences (downtime, safety exposure, reputational risk).
Playback-ready executive material, the concise phrasing and metrics used to justify remediation budgets and vendor changes.
Proven playbooks for vendor remote access, public Wi-Fi, signaling system hardening, and platform-screen-door integration.
This is not academic, it’s the work plan actual operational teams used to close gaps while the system remained online.
Key findings, practical discoveries that changed priorities
Across the tram and rail estate we assessed, several repeatable issues emerged that most transport operators should watch for:
Undocumented wireless and radio endpoints (trackside BBRS & Wi-Fi) that exposed signaling-adjacent systems to lateral movement.
Weak vendor remote access and shared credentials used during maintenance windows.
Inconsistent segmentation between corporate systems (ticketing, payroll) and operational subsystems (SCADA, signaling), enabling escalation paths.
Legacy firmware and unsupported devices with high exploitability scores that required compensating controls rather than immediate replacement.
Insufficient incident playbooks for rail-specific scenarios (signal degradation, PIS failures, fare-system compromise).
Each issue was mapped to an operational impact and remediated with low-disruption controls, for example, enforcing jump-host vendor access, isolating passenger Wi-Fi from operational networks, and deploying protocol-aware monitoring on signaling subnets.
Key takeaways from the case study
Inventory is the new frontline. A validated asset list reduces time-to-mitigation when advisories are published. Recent national guidance highlights asset inventory as a core control.
Start passive, move surgical. Passive discovery finds most blind spots without risking controllers; targeted active testing should be planned in maintenance windows.
Prioritize business impact over CVE count. Fix controllers and communication links that would directly halt service or endanger safety before lower-impact IT vulnerabilities.
Vendor access kills or saves uptime. Locking down remote access paths and instituting strict logging and session-control yields fast risk reduction.
Make remediation auditable and repeatable. Tie every fix to an owner, ticket and validation artifact for regulatory and board reporting.
How Shieldworkz supports rail operators like you
Shieldworkz supports rail operators by combining deep OT expertise with a strong understanding of the rail industry’s unique challenges. Our team uses safe discovery tools and OT-aware analysts familiar with signaling protocols and radio systems. We conduct targeted threat hunting across transit applications such as passenger Wi-Fi, PIS, and AFC, while our operational playbooks align fixes with maintenance schedules and change-control processes. We provide validation and governance packages that meet regulatory and executive requirements, along with ongoing advisory and managed detection services. Acting as an extension of your engineering and security teams, we prioritize passenger safety, reliability, and cyber resilience.
Ready to make your rail network demonstrably safer?
Download the full case study to get the executive brief, prioritized remediation checklist, and validation playbook used to secure a major tram network. Shieldworkz also offers a complimentary scoping call to define a production-safe rapid assessment tailored to your network segments. Fill out the form to download the case study and schedule your free briefing. Protect passengers, preserve uptime, and prove your readiness for high-profile events.
Download your copy today!
How Shieldworkz Secured a Major Middle Eastern Rail Operator
Critical transportation systems are a prime target for modern cyber adversaries. A single undetected intrusion in rail networks can disrupt timetables, delay cargo, expose passenger data, and, in worst cases, threaten safety. Shieldworkz partnered with a major Middle East rail operator to perform a safe, production-first cybersecurity, vulnerability and threat assessment, then turned findings into a prioritized, auditable remediation program that protected people, preserved service continuity and satisfied regulatory expectations.
Why this case study matters
Rail systems are unique: they combine fieldborne radio networks, time distribution and signaling, safety-critical control logic, passenger services like PA/PIS and fare collection, and corporate IT integrations. That breadth creates multiple attack vectors, and time-critical consequences. A cyber incident can disrupt service, endanger passengers, and trigger reputational or regulatory fallout during high-stakes events.
A targeted OT/ICS assessment does three immediate things you need:
Reveal blind spots across radio, signaling, SCADA and passenger systems.
Prioritize remediation where it reduces safety and operational risk fastest.
Provide auditable evidence for boards, regulators and event planners that systems are resilient.
If your operation runs distributed field equipment, third-party vendors, or public-facing communications, this assessment is the first defensible step toward operational continuity.
Why download this case study
If you are responsible for rail, transit, or any large distributed transport network, this case study gives you:
A real-world, step-by-step blueprint for performing OT security work without risking passenger service.
Actionable prioritization logic that translates technical findings into business consequences (downtime, safety exposure, reputational risk).
Playback-ready executive material, the concise phrasing and metrics used to justify remediation budgets and vendor changes.
Proven playbooks for vendor remote access, public Wi-Fi, signaling system hardening, and platform-screen-door integration.
This is not academic, it’s the work plan actual operational teams used to close gaps while the system remained online.
Key findings, practical discoveries that changed priorities
Across the tram and rail estate we assessed, several repeatable issues emerged that most transport operators should watch for:
Undocumented wireless and radio endpoints (trackside BBRS & Wi-Fi) that exposed signaling-adjacent systems to lateral movement.
Weak vendor remote access and shared credentials used during maintenance windows.
Inconsistent segmentation between corporate systems (ticketing, payroll) and operational subsystems (SCADA, signaling), enabling escalation paths.
Legacy firmware and unsupported devices with high exploitability scores that required compensating controls rather than immediate replacement.
Insufficient incident playbooks for rail-specific scenarios (signal degradation, PIS failures, fare-system compromise).
Each issue was mapped to an operational impact and remediated with low-disruption controls, for example, enforcing jump-host vendor access, isolating passenger Wi-Fi from operational networks, and deploying protocol-aware monitoring on signaling subnets.
Key takeaways from the case study
Inventory is the new frontline. A validated asset list reduces time-to-mitigation when advisories are published. Recent national guidance highlights asset inventory as a core control.
Start passive, move surgical. Passive discovery finds most blind spots without risking controllers; targeted active testing should be planned in maintenance windows.
Prioritize business impact over CVE count. Fix controllers and communication links that would directly halt service or endanger safety before lower-impact IT vulnerabilities.
Vendor access kills or saves uptime. Locking down remote access paths and instituting strict logging and session-control yields fast risk reduction.
Make remediation auditable and repeatable. Tie every fix to an owner, ticket and validation artifact for regulatory and board reporting.
How Shieldworkz supports rail operators like you
Shieldworkz supports rail operators by combining deep OT expertise with a strong understanding of the rail industry’s unique challenges. Our team uses safe discovery tools and OT-aware analysts familiar with signaling protocols and radio systems. We conduct targeted threat hunting across transit applications such as passenger Wi-Fi, PIS, and AFC, while our operational playbooks align fixes with maintenance schedules and change-control processes. We provide validation and governance packages that meet regulatory and executive requirements, along with ongoing advisory and managed detection services. Acting as an extension of your engineering and security teams, we prioritize passenger safety, reliability, and cyber resilience.
Ready to make your rail network demonstrably safer?
Download the full case study to get the executive brief, prioritized remediation checklist, and validation playbook used to secure a major tram network. Shieldworkz also offers a complimentary scoping call to define a production-safe rapid assessment tailored to your network segments. Fill out the form to download the case study and schedule your free briefing. Protect passengers, preserve uptime, and prove your readiness for high-profile events.
Download your copy today!
