CYBER RANGES and OTIFYD Partner for OT Cybersecurity

In Short

CYBER RANGES and OTIFYD announced a collaboration to help oil and gas companies test cyber-physical incident readiness. The goal is to move beyond written plans and run realistic exercises that include both IT and operational technology.

What Happened

CYBER RANGES said it is working with OTIFYD to bring “cyber-physical readiness” training to oil and gas operators. The companies plan to showcase the joint approach at AUTOMA Oil & Gas 2026.

The partnership combines cyberattack simulation with physical operational technology test environments. Operational technology, or OT, is the hardware and software that runs industrial processes, like pipelines, compressors, and refinery control systems.

On the cyber side, CYBER RANGES provides high-fidelity virtual enterprise and OT environments. In simple terms, this is a realistic digital copy of a company network where teams can practice detecting, investigating, and containing attacks without touching live operations.

On the physical side, OTIFYD brings consultancy services and a “Physical Twin” lab setup. This uses real industrial components, including PLCs (industrial control computers), HMIs (operator screens), sensors, and actuators (devices that move or open and close things). The idea is to recreate how a real plant behaves when an attacker tampers with systems.

Together, the two parts aim to run exercises from the first signs of an intrusion through potential impact on physical processes, then recovery. This is designed for joint training across security teams, engineers, operations staff, and management.

Why It Matters

Oil and gas firms across Africa rely on OT systems that were not designed for internet-era threats. When OT security fails, the result can be more than data loss. It can affect safety, production uptime, and environmental risk.

This type of training can help companies find gaps in tools and decision-making before a real incident. It also supports repeatable drills, which can build “muscle memory” for responders under pressure.

For the wider ecosystem, cyber ranges and industrial test labs are becoming part of how critical infrastructure operators prove readiness. That can influence procurement, compliance, and insurance requirements as regulators and partners push for stronger OT resilience.