OT/ICS Security Checklist
for Aerospace Manufacturing
When flight-critical production meets cyber risk
Aerospace manufacturing combines extremely tight tolerances, certified processes, intellectual property, and safety-critical systems. Modern production lines include PLC-driven assembly, CNC machining, autoclaves, digital thread systems (CAD/CAM/PLM) and IIoT sensors, all increasingly connected for efficiency. That connectivity delivers productivity but also creates attack surfaces that can disrupt production, corrupt valuable design data, or put people and certification at risk.
Shieldworkz built this concise, action-oriented OT/ICS checklist specifically for aerospace decision-makers, plant engineering leads, and security teams. It codifies safety-first, production-aware controls you can use during audits, supplier on-boarding, change reviews and incident preparedness. Use it to assign owners, set deadlines, and measure progress against OT metrics that matter.
Why this matters now
Aerospace manufacturing is uniquely demanding: precision tolerances, certified processes, strict traceability, and the highest safety and quality standards. Modern production lines combine CNC machines, autoclaves, PLCs, HMIs, vision systems, and IIoT telemetry - often tied into PLM/CAD/CAM workflows that contain sensitive intellectual property. A single unauthorized change, a tampered CAD file, or a compromised engineering workstation can cause scrap, shipment delays, regulatory non-compliance, or far worse - safety incidents or product recalls.
Unlike commodity manufacturing, aerospace tolerances and certification cycles make “rip-and-replace” security strategies impractical. Security controls must be non-disruptive, safety-aware, and integrated into the production lifecycle. That’s exactly what this checklist provides: prioritized, operational actions you can use in audits, change control reviews, supplier onboarding, and incident preparedness.
Why you should download this checklist
This Shieldworkz checklist is built from real industrial practice and distilled into an actionable instrument you can apply immediately:
Operational focus: Actions are written for plant engineers and operations teams - not only security specialists.
Safety-first priorities: Every item is aligned to preserve production safety and certification constraints.
Assignable and measurable: Each control is structured to accept an owner, priority (H/M/L), and due date for governance.
Cross-discipline use: Use it for supplier onboarding, change windows, internal audits, and tabletop exercises.
Practical templates: Includes inventory fields, patch prioritization logic, and playbook skeletons you can reuse.
If you need a straightforward way to convert high-level security goals into plant-level deliverables, this checklist is the fastest path.
Key takeaways from the checklist
Inventory is your highest-return investment. Run passive discovery and produce a crown-jewel list (HMIs, engineering workstations, autoclave controllers, CNC libraries). Tag them with criticality and firmware versions.
Treat vendor access as the top pivot risk. Replace standing VPNs with jump-hosts, JIT credentials, MFA and mandatory session recording - then audit every session.
Isolate before you automate. Implement Purdue-level segmentation and data diodes for outbound telemetry; avoid automatic blocking that could stop certified process flows.
Protect the digital thread. Sign and hash CAD/CAM/PLM handoffs, restrict write access, and validate artifacts at each process boundary.
Plan recoveries like you plan production. Maintain air-gapped PLC/HMI backups, pre-configured spare controllers, and rehearse restores in maintenance windows.
Measure what leadership cares about. Report percent assets inventoried, MTTD/MTTR for safety-impacting anomalies, and vendor session coverage to secure ongoing funding.
How Shieldworkz helps Aerospace manufacturers
Shieldworkz converts checklist items into operational capability through a compact set of services designed for low-disruption environments:
Passive discovery & prioritization pilot (7-14 days): identify crown jewels and produce an actionable asset register.
Segmentation & vendor controls: design and implement Purdue-aligned zones, DMZs, and jump-host architectures that respect safety constraints.
OT-aware monitoring & playbooks: deploy non-intrusive monitoring, tune anomaly baselines for aerospace production cycles, and create safety-first incident playbooks.
Digital-thread protection: help implement CAD/PLM signing, repository controls, and verification checks at handoffs.
Training & tabletop exercises: role-specific drills for operators, engineers and procurement to embed behaviors that prevent incidents.
Board-ready reporting: KPI dashboards and remediation roadmaps that translate security work into business risk reduction.
Every engagement is tailored to your certification and production calendars - our goal is measurable improvement without unnecessary downtime.
Take action today: Download the checklist
Protecting aerospace production requires focused, practical controls - not more dashboards. Download the OT/ICS Security Checklist for Aerospace Manufacturing to get the full, assignable checklist, templates, and a step-by-step 90-day starter plan.
Fill out the form to receive your checklist and schedule a complimentary 30-minute scoping call with a Shieldworkz OT specialist. We’ll help you pick the highest-impact pilot and create an implementation plan that preserves safety and product integrity.
Download your copy today!
Get our free OT/ICS Security Checklist
for Aerospace Manufacturing and make sure you’re covering every critical control in your industrial network
When flight-critical production meets cyber risk
Aerospace manufacturing combines extremely tight tolerances, certified processes, intellectual property, and safety-critical systems. Modern production lines include PLC-driven assembly, CNC machining, autoclaves, digital thread systems (CAD/CAM/PLM) and IIoT sensors, all increasingly connected for efficiency. That connectivity delivers productivity but also creates attack surfaces that can disrupt production, corrupt valuable design data, or put people and certification at risk.
Shieldworkz built this concise, action-oriented OT/ICS checklist specifically for aerospace decision-makers, plant engineering leads, and security teams. It codifies safety-first, production-aware controls you can use during audits, supplier on-boarding, change reviews and incident preparedness. Use it to assign owners, set deadlines, and measure progress against OT metrics that matter.
Why this matters now
Aerospace manufacturing is uniquely demanding: precision tolerances, certified processes, strict traceability, and the highest safety and quality standards. Modern production lines combine CNC machines, autoclaves, PLCs, HMIs, vision systems, and IIoT telemetry - often tied into PLM/CAD/CAM workflows that contain sensitive intellectual property. A single unauthorized change, a tampered CAD file, or a compromised engineering workstation can cause scrap, shipment delays, regulatory non-compliance, or far worse - safety incidents or product recalls.
Unlike commodity manufacturing, aerospace tolerances and certification cycles make “rip-and-replace” security strategies impractical. Security controls must be non-disruptive, safety-aware, and integrated into the production lifecycle. That’s exactly what this checklist provides: prioritized, operational actions you can use in audits, change control reviews, supplier onboarding, and incident preparedness.
Why you should download this checklist
This Shieldworkz checklist is built from real industrial practice and distilled into an actionable instrument you can apply immediately:
Operational focus: Actions are written for plant engineers and operations teams - not only security specialists.
Safety-first priorities: Every item is aligned to preserve production safety and certification constraints.
Assignable and measurable: Each control is structured to accept an owner, priority (H/M/L), and due date for governance.
Cross-discipline use: Use it for supplier onboarding, change windows, internal audits, and tabletop exercises.
Practical templates: Includes inventory fields, patch prioritization logic, and playbook skeletons you can reuse.
If you need a straightforward way to convert high-level security goals into plant-level deliverables, this checklist is the fastest path.
Key takeaways from the checklist
Inventory is your highest-return investment. Run passive discovery and produce a crown-jewel list (HMIs, engineering workstations, autoclave controllers, CNC libraries). Tag them with criticality and firmware versions.
Treat vendor access as the top pivot risk. Replace standing VPNs with jump-hosts, JIT credentials, MFA and mandatory session recording - then audit every session.
Isolate before you automate. Implement Purdue-level segmentation and data diodes for outbound telemetry; avoid automatic blocking that could stop certified process flows.
Protect the digital thread. Sign and hash CAD/CAM/PLM handoffs, restrict write access, and validate artifacts at each process boundary.
Plan recoveries like you plan production. Maintain air-gapped PLC/HMI backups, pre-configured spare controllers, and rehearse restores in maintenance windows.
Measure what leadership cares about. Report percent assets inventoried, MTTD/MTTR for safety-impacting anomalies, and vendor session coverage to secure ongoing funding.
How Shieldworkz helps Aerospace manufacturers
Shieldworkz converts checklist items into operational capability through a compact set of services designed for low-disruption environments:
Passive discovery & prioritization pilot (7-14 days): identify crown jewels and produce an actionable asset register.
Segmentation & vendor controls: design and implement Purdue-aligned zones, DMZs, and jump-host architectures that respect safety constraints.
OT-aware monitoring & playbooks: deploy non-intrusive monitoring, tune anomaly baselines for aerospace production cycles, and create safety-first incident playbooks.
Digital-thread protection: help implement CAD/PLM signing, repository controls, and verification checks at handoffs.
Training & tabletop exercises: role-specific drills for operators, engineers and procurement to embed behaviors that prevent incidents.
Board-ready reporting: KPI dashboards and remediation roadmaps that translate security work into business risk reduction.
Every engagement is tailored to your certification and production calendars - our goal is measurable improvement without unnecessary downtime.
Take action today: Download the checklist
Protecting aerospace production requires focused, practical controls - not more dashboards. Download the OT/ICS Security Checklist for Aerospace Manufacturing to get the full, assignable checklist, templates, and a step-by-step 90-day starter plan.
Fill out the form to receive your checklist and schedule a complimentary 30-minute scoping call with a Shieldworkz OT specialist. We’ll help you pick the highest-impact pilot and create an implementation plan that preserves safety and product integrity.
Download your copy today!
Get our free OT/ICS Security Checklist
for Aerospace Manufacturing and make sure you’re covering every critical control in your industrial network
When flight-critical production meets cyber risk
Aerospace manufacturing combines extremely tight tolerances, certified processes, intellectual property, and safety-critical systems. Modern production lines include PLC-driven assembly, CNC machining, autoclaves, digital thread systems (CAD/CAM/PLM) and IIoT sensors, all increasingly connected for efficiency. That connectivity delivers productivity but also creates attack surfaces that can disrupt production, corrupt valuable design data, or put people and certification at risk.
Shieldworkz built this concise, action-oriented OT/ICS checklist specifically for aerospace decision-makers, plant engineering leads, and security teams. It codifies safety-first, production-aware controls you can use during audits, supplier on-boarding, change reviews and incident preparedness. Use it to assign owners, set deadlines, and measure progress against OT metrics that matter.
Why this matters now
Aerospace manufacturing is uniquely demanding: precision tolerances, certified processes, strict traceability, and the highest safety and quality standards. Modern production lines combine CNC machines, autoclaves, PLCs, HMIs, vision systems, and IIoT telemetry - often tied into PLM/CAD/CAM workflows that contain sensitive intellectual property. A single unauthorized change, a tampered CAD file, or a compromised engineering workstation can cause scrap, shipment delays, regulatory non-compliance, or far worse - safety incidents or product recalls.
Unlike commodity manufacturing, aerospace tolerances and certification cycles make “rip-and-replace” security strategies impractical. Security controls must be non-disruptive, safety-aware, and integrated into the production lifecycle. That’s exactly what this checklist provides: prioritized, operational actions you can use in audits, change control reviews, supplier onboarding, and incident preparedness.
Why you should download this checklist
This Shieldworkz checklist is built from real industrial practice and distilled into an actionable instrument you can apply immediately:
Operational focus: Actions are written for plant engineers and operations teams - not only security specialists.
Safety-first priorities: Every item is aligned to preserve production safety and certification constraints.
Assignable and measurable: Each control is structured to accept an owner, priority (H/M/L), and due date for governance.
Cross-discipline use: Use it for supplier onboarding, change windows, internal audits, and tabletop exercises.
Practical templates: Includes inventory fields, patch prioritization logic, and playbook skeletons you can reuse.
If you need a straightforward way to convert high-level security goals into plant-level deliverables, this checklist is the fastest path.
Key takeaways from the checklist
Inventory is your highest-return investment. Run passive discovery and produce a crown-jewel list (HMIs, engineering workstations, autoclave controllers, CNC libraries). Tag them with criticality and firmware versions.
Treat vendor access as the top pivot risk. Replace standing VPNs with jump-hosts, JIT credentials, MFA and mandatory session recording - then audit every session.
Isolate before you automate. Implement Purdue-level segmentation and data diodes for outbound telemetry; avoid automatic blocking that could stop certified process flows.
Protect the digital thread. Sign and hash CAD/CAM/PLM handoffs, restrict write access, and validate artifacts at each process boundary.
Plan recoveries like you plan production. Maintain air-gapped PLC/HMI backups, pre-configured spare controllers, and rehearse restores in maintenance windows.
Measure what leadership cares about. Report percent assets inventoried, MTTD/MTTR for safety-impacting anomalies, and vendor session coverage to secure ongoing funding.
How Shieldworkz helps Aerospace manufacturers
Shieldworkz converts checklist items into operational capability through a compact set of services designed for low-disruption environments:
Passive discovery & prioritization pilot (7-14 days): identify crown jewels and produce an actionable asset register.
Segmentation & vendor controls: design and implement Purdue-aligned zones, DMZs, and jump-host architectures that respect safety constraints.
OT-aware monitoring & playbooks: deploy non-intrusive monitoring, tune anomaly baselines for aerospace production cycles, and create safety-first incident playbooks.
Digital-thread protection: help implement CAD/PLM signing, repository controls, and verification checks at handoffs.
Training & tabletop exercises: role-specific drills for operators, engineers and procurement to embed behaviors that prevent incidents.
Board-ready reporting: KPI dashboards and remediation roadmaps that translate security work into business risk reduction.
Every engagement is tailored to your certification and production calendars - our goal is measurable improvement without unnecessary downtime.
Take action today: Download the checklist
Protecting aerospace production requires focused, practical controls - not more dashboards. Download the OT/ICS Security Checklist for Aerospace Manufacturing to get the full, assignable checklist, templates, and a step-by-step 90-day starter plan.
Fill out the form to receive your checklist and schedule a complimentary 30-minute scoping call with a Shieldworkz OT specialist. We’ll help you pick the highest-impact pilot and create an implementation plan that preserves safety and product integrity.
Download your copy today!
Get our free OT/ICS Security Checklist
for Aerospace Manufacturing and make sure you’re covering every critical control in your industrial network
