Firevault, offline secure storage, physically disconnected from the internet
Pricing

Control module · Fire layer

FV-Firebreak. Physically open or close the path.

Firebreak governs whether a connection path exists at all. When the path is severed, the attack has no route to progress. Containment is delivered by removing the physical connection, not by inspecting traffic or trusting a configuration to hold.

As featured in

  • TechRadar Pro logo
  • Yahoo Finance logo
  • Channel Insider logo
  • Security Buyer logo
  • SecurityBrief logo

The problem

Filtering a path is not the same as removing it.

If the path can be filtered, it can be unfiltered. If the path is physically removed, there is nothing left to negotiate with.

  1. There is no rule plane to subvert and no configuration to mis-set. The contained state is the absence of the connection.

  2. Firebreak operates on the connection path itself, so a closed path cannot be reached, scanned or negotiated with from either side.

  3. Actions can be initiated by an operator, by a scheduled task, or by an upstream detection in line with pre-approved conditions.

Problem 1

Filtering trusts the filter.

Firewall rules, ACLs and segmentation policies assume the enforcement plane is intact. A compromised management plane can quietly relax the same rules that are supposed to contain the attack.

Answered byNo logical bypass

Problem 2

Logical boundaries leak.

VLANs, overlays and software-defined boundaries can be bypassed through misconfiguration, trunk abuse or trust inheritance. The separation only exists while every layer behaves as intended.

Answered byPath-level severance

Problem 3

Reaction is too slow.

Emergency rule changes need authoring, testing and propagation. An attacker moving laterally does not wait for the change window to complete.

Answered byTriggered or commanded

The scenario

Cutting the route
during a live incident.

Firebreak is the moment you stop debating containment and you simply remove the road. Step through an incident, or play it through.

Step 1 of 5

Detect

Detection confirms unauthorised activity reaching from a corporate segment into an operations environment.

Inter-segment path
Live
Authorisation
Not yet requested
Record
Detection logged

Illustration. Firebreak hardware is manufactured by Firevault.

Physical
Severance happens at the connection itself, not in a rule set
No path
Left on a conduit once Firebreak severs it
Authorised
Every open and close requires explicit approval
Auditable
Each state change is recorded for evidential review

Placement

Where Firebreak physically severs the path.

Firebreak is engaged at every conduit where a severed path is the only acceptable default. It removes the connection itself, not the rule about the connection. Grounded in IEC 62443-3-3 SR 5.1 Network Segmentation, NIST CSF PR.AC-5 and NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework B4.

Relies on

  • Physical interruption hardware in the conduit, not just a routing change
  • Out-of-band authorisation channel that survives an IT compromise
  • Tamper-evident audit of every open and close event

Pairs with

Firebreak removes the path. Isolate, Relay, Execute, Validate set the zones it works between, restore paths for a defined window, trigger the action and confirm authority. The Firebreak® hardware is manufactured by Firevault.

IEC 62443 SR 5.1

Internet to enterprise conduit

Severs the inbound path when no legitimate traffic is expected. The path comes up only for an authorised window.

IEC 62443 SR 5.1 / SR 5.2

IT to OT boundary

Removes the standing route between corporate IT and operational technology. An IT compromise has no standing route into OT.

NIST CSF PR.PT-5

Production to recovery vault

Holds the path to offline recovery copies severed at rest. Ransomware has no connection to the copies while the path is severed.

Physically disconnected Offline Secure Storage: server, three drives and a padlock

IEC 62443 SR 1.13

Vendor maintenance conduit

Default-severed third-party reach. Opens only as a named, time-bound session and closes on schedule.

Capabilities

What you get with every deployment.

Seven things Firebreak gives a security team, from the first incident to the audit afterwards.

Ransomware

Ransomware kill switch

Firebreak physically closes the path to backups and adjacent zones, stopping spread without waiting for rule changes.

Severance

Path-level severance

Firebreak operates on the connection path itself, so a closed path cannot be reached, scanned or negotiated with from either side.

Bypass

No logical bypass

There is no rule plane to subvert and no configuration to mis-set. The contained state is the absence of the connection.

Authority

Multi-party authorisation

Open and close actions require explicit approval from designated parties, so no single account can change the boundary alone.

Trigger

Triggered or commanded

Actions can be initiated by an operator, by a scheduled task, or by an upstream detection in line with pre-approved conditions.

Evidence

Evidential record

Each state change, the requesting party and the approving party are recorded on physically separate storage through Archive.

FV-Archive

Restoration

Controlled restoration

Paths are reopened deliberately and individually, through Relay where a defined purpose and window applies.

FV-Relay

Adoption guide

From mapped paths to routine response.

Four steps, rehearsed on a non-production path before anything live is severed.

  1. 1

    Map the paths

    Identify the connection paths where severance is a meaningful response, such as inter-zone, inter-site and third-party links.

  2. 2

    Define the authority

    Agree the approval pattern for open and close, the pre-approved automation conditions and the escalation route.

  3. 3

    Rehearse and validate

    Walk the playbook with the responders, then exercise live severance and restoration on a non-production path.

  4. 4

    Operate and review

    Run Firebreak as part of regular response, review state changes through Archive and tune the trigger conditions over time.

Playbooks

Which playbook covers this module.

Each playbook shows where this module sits in a real deployment, who authorises it and how a pilot scales into rollout.

Control for Water: Deployment Playbook

Chapter three places Firebreak on the Purdue model for a water operator and walks the pilot through to rollout.

Read the playbook

A Control Blueprint for AI: 2026 Playbook

Sets out where physical path severance belongs around training clusters, inference estates and agent action authority.

Read the playbook

A Control Blueprint for Aerospace and Aviation

Applies path control to design authority networks, maintenance systems and airside operational technology.

Read the playbook

All playbooks

Explore more

Where to go next.

The modules Firebreak works with, and the outcomes it delivers.

Questions

Frequently asked about Firebreak

It can work as one. Firebreak physically closes the path to backups and adjacent zones, so spreading encryption has no connection left to follow, without waiting for rule changes to be written and propagated.

No. A firewall block filters a path that still exists, and relies on the enforcement plane staying intact. Firebreak removes the connection itself: there is no rule plane to subvert and no configuration to mis-set.

Yes, within conditions you agree in advance. Actions can be initiated by an operator, by a scheduled task, or by an upstream detection in line with pre-approved conditions.

Deliberately and individually. A severed path stays severed until the environment is verified clean and a controlled restoration is approved, through Relay where a defined purpose and window applies.

Firebreak’s own authorisation runs over an out-of-band channel that survives an IT compromise, so severing a production path does not remove the route used to approve the action or the restoration. Which paths are severed, and who can authorise it, is agreed when the paths are mapped.

All questions

Remove the road.

We will map the paths where severance is a meaningful response, agree who authorises it, and show you a rehearsal on a non-production path.