--- title: "BP-14 Critical Infrastructure | Control by Firevault" url: https://fire-vault.com/control-blueprint/critical-infrastructure description: "Critical infrastructure relies on operational technology, supervisory systems and supplier connections to deliver essential services. Control introduces…" lang: en-GB --- BP-14 · Industry Blueprint · Critical Infrastructure # Essential services depend on connections. Not all need to stay open. Image: BP-14 Critical Infrastructure Control Blueprint icon (https://fire-vault.com/__l5e/assets-v1/a156bb6a-d3b2-436c-b2b0-a81d4ea1f651/BP-14_critical-infrastructure.png) Critical infrastructure relies on operational technology, supervisory systems and supplier connections to deliver essential services. Control introduces physical control at selected network boundaries, subject to operational and safety assessment. Book a briefing: https://fire-vault.com/demo Explore the Control Plans - A specialist supplier needs an engineering-support connection to a named operational asset. Review the named support and cross-zone boundaries; operationally required links are not assumed disconnectable. - Reference design for adaptation with the service owner, not a validated deployment. Confirm complete boundary coverage, operational dependencies and the consequences of opening or closing each selected path. - 3 matching Control Plans. Offline Secure Storage® is separate. - Control does not replace process safety, OT engineering, incident response, monitoring or existing protective measures. Changing connectivity does not establish a safe process state, stop local execution or guarantee service restoration. The industry reality ## Critical Infrastructure: the connections your operation relies on. Connections between business systems, suppliers and operational environments may create dependencies that matter during an incident. Legacy equipment and service continuity requirements can constrain how boundaries are designed. **Continuity**Loss of operational visibility or communications may complicate service delivery. **Supplier exposure**Maintenance paths may remain available beyond the work for which they were approved. **Legacy dependencies**Older systems may rely on specific network paths that are difficult to change. **Recovery readiness**Teams need an agreed approach to intervention and restoration of designated connections. What needs protecting ## The service, systems and people behind the connections. A specialist supplier needs an engineering-support connection to a named operational asset. Review the named support and cross-zone boundaries; operationally required links are not assumed disconnectable. **Standing access**Which supplier and management connections remain available outside authorised work? **Shared dependencies**Which business or communications services are relied on by operational systems? **Essential availability**Which paths must remain available for safe operation, monitoring or emergency response? Threats and failure scenarios ## Situations to plan for, before the next incident. A specialist supplier needs an engineering-support connection to a named operational asset. Control acts on selected physical connections, not every connection in the environment. **Scoped support for Critical Infrastructure**A specialist supplier needs an engineering-support connection to a named operational asset. The owner authorises the selected route and its closing conditions. **Review an affected boundary**Assess a selected remote-asset support route against essential service dependencies, alternate communications and the operational authority. **CP-16: agree the connection and authority**Assess a selected remote-asset support route against essential service dependencies, alternate communications and the operational authority. Use CP-16 only where its scope and approval requirements fit this connection. Industry architecture ## Illustrative sector connections. Illustrative sector connection Stage Without Control: the selected routes remain open. Modules in this Blueprint Anchor: https://fire-vault.com/control-module/anchor Validate: https://fire-vault.com/control-module/validate Relay: https://fire-vault.com/control-module/relay Transfer: https://fire-vault.com/control-module/transfer Execute: https://fire-vault.com/control-module/execute Fracture: https://fire-vault.com/control-module/fracture Isolate: https://fire-vault.com/control-module/isolate Shown when the agreed Control response is selected. An illustrative ransomware event starts in a connected system and follows the open routes shown here. This is a connection model, not a prediction of a real attack.**The open connections allow movement in this simplified model. Actual exposure depends on your environment and existing defences.** Selected connection states - Specialist supplier to OT engineering support _Always connected_ - Corporate IT to operational support broker _Always connected_ - Controller to essential process functions _Always connected_ - Remote asset support to operations centre _Always connected_ - Recovery access (OSS) _Disconnected_ 1. _!_**Illustrative threat starts at** · Corporate IT 2. _+_**Modelled movement to** · Suppliers, Identity 3. _+_**Modelled movement to** · Approved access, Engineering 4. _+_**Modelled movement to** · Supporting service, Approved workstations, SCADA 5. _+_**Modelled movement to** · Protected service, Controllers This model only shows the selected routes. An interrupted route does not remove an existing compromise or protect unmodelled paths. Your security tools detect the event; the agreed Control design governs the response. Offline Secure Storage® holds copies separately; it is not a Control module. Recommended industry Blueprint ## Our recommended Blueprint for Critical Infrastructure. Start with these connections Specialist supplier to OT engineering support; Corporate IT to operational support broker Agree how access works Open only for the authorised support task; close under agreed completion conditions Plan the response Change only the selected boundary after the service owner approves the impact Refine this recommendation with critical service owners, operational engineering and security leads. Offline Secure Storage® can hold recovery copies separately; it is not a Control module. As featured in - Read about Firevault on TechRadar Pro: https://www.techradar.com/pro/uk-startup-put-physical-disconnect-switch-in-its-cloud-storage-offering-to-mitigate-ransomware-attacks-but-will-that-be-enough - Read about Firevault on Yahoo Finance: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/firevault-launches-help-businesses-directors-074500961.html - Read about Firevault on Channel Insider: https://www.channelinsider.com/security/tools-and-platforms/firevault-security-offline-platform-offering/ - Read about Firevault on Security Buyer: https://securitybuyer.com/uk-cybersecurity-startup-launches-firevault/ - Read about Firevault on SecurityBrief: https://securitybrief.com.au/story/firevault-unveils-offline-digital-vault-to-combat-rising-cyber-risks Operational scenarios ## Who decides, what changes, and what is checked. Agree responsibility and service dependencies before relying on a controlled connection. 1. **Normal operation** Critical infrastructure relies on operational technology, supervisory systems and supplier connections to deliver essential services. Control introduces physical control at selected network boundaries, subject to operational and safety assessment. 2. **Approved work** A specialist supplier needs an engineering-support connection to a named operational asset. The owner authorises the selected route and its closing conditions. 3. **Incident response** A specialist supplier needs an engineering-support connection to a named operational asset. Control acts on selected physical connections, not every connection in the environment. 4. **Reconnection** The owner reviews service dependencies and security checks, authorises reconnection and verifies the observed result. Evidence is retained only through the specified supporting systems. Control does not replace process safety, OT engineering, incident response, monitoring or existing protective measures. Changing connectivity does not establish a safe process state, stop local execution or guarantee service restoration. Resilience and recovery ## Offline Secure Storage® OSS protects stored business data, recovery copies and retained evidence through physical disconnection. It is a separate storage service, not a Control module or a network containment function. Control by Firevault governs selected physical connections. Existing detection tools and authorised operators decide when to act. OSS does not detect incidents, command Control or replace operational safety procedures. Offline Secure Storage (OSS) is separate from Control. If selected, it can hold retained copies of configurations, records or recovery material. Collection, completeness and recovery readiness depend on the supporting tools, retention design and tested recovery procedures. Explore Offline Secure Storage (https://fire-vault.com/offline-secure-storage) Standards and governance ## Support your obligations. Keep the boundaries clear. Alignment may be assessed against the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) for relevant UK operators; no certification or compliance outcome is implied. Any assessment needs deployment-specific scope and evidence; this Blueprint provides no certification, complete audit trail or guaranteed response time. **What this addresses**A specialist supplier needs an engineering-support connection to a named operational asset. Control acts on selected physical connections, not every connection in the environment. **What it does not replace**Control does not replace process safety, OT engineering, incident response, monitoring or existing protective measures. Changing connectivity does not establish a safe process state, stop local execution or guarantee service restoration. **Evidence agreed for the deployment**Specify the requests, approvals, commands, observed states and test results to retain. Logging capability and retention depend on the selected design. Detection and the decision to act belong to the operational owner and supporting security systems. Identity, approval workflow, session expiry and evidence collection require specified integrations. Execute initiates an approved action; Fracture physically disconnects the selected path through Firebreak hardware. Confirm the observed connection state separately. Anchor keeps critical assets within defined physical connection boundaries; it does not collect or retain records. Transfer governs a designated exchange path, not content inspection or de-identification. Deployment and proof of concept ## Start with one boundary. Test it. Then expand. Review the first selected connection with critical service owners, operational engineering and security leads, agree who can authorise a change and test the service impact. 1. **Map the complete boundary** Confirm cabling, redundant links and alternate routes. A selected physical cut does not remove paths outside its scope. 2. **Agree an independent command route** Confirm the available command methods for the selected hardware. Command delivery can be affected by coverage, roaming and handshakes. 3. **Test the effect, not just the command** Verify the observed link state, service dependencies and failure behaviour in an agreed test window. Plan your first route ## Start with the route you would close first. Outcomes ## What changes, and how you will verify it. Judge the Blueprint on agreed, observed outcomes. **Specialist supplier to OT engineering support**Open only for the authorised support task; close under agreed completion conditions. Agree identity checks, approval, session closure and observed-state checks **Corporate IT to operational support broker**Change only the selected boundary after the service owner approves the impact. Map alternate routes and preserve services outside the selected scope **Controller to essential process functions**Not assumed disconnectable. Safety and continuity owners must assess this dependency separately Questions worth asking ## Before you rely on BP-14. Practical questions for the people who own these connections. Not by assumption. Map dependencies and agree the acceptable service impact with the operational owner before selecting a path. Your next step ## Take the next step with critical infrastructure. Book a briefing (https://fire-vault.com/demo) Prefer to talk first? 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