SteelCorp Manufacturing: Industrial Processor During Critical Contract Delivery
- Organization: Industrial steel processing facility, 400 employees (80 production workers, 120 supervisors/technicians, 150 support staff, 50 administrative), 24/7 manufacturing operations with SCADA industrial control systems
- Key Assets at Risk: Worker safety systems (gas detection, temperature monitoring, equipment controls protecting 80 floor workers), Production continuity ($500K+ equipment damage risk, 4-6 week halt potential), Critical $15M annual client relationship
- Business Pressure: Friday delivery deadline (48 hours away) for largest contract in company history—$200K per day penalty clauses, 150 worker layoffs if contract terminates, client calling twice daily threatening termination
- Core Dilemma: Halt production for safety system verification protects 80 workers BUT guarantees contract penalties and potential termination, OR Continue production to meet deadline BUT risks worker injury if compromised environmental monitoring fails to detect hazardous conditions
- Type: Industrial steel processing and manufacturing facility
- Size: 400-employee facility (80 production workers, 120 supervisors and technicians, 150 support staff, 50 administrative personnel)
- Operations: Steel processing, hydraulic press operations, precision manufacturing, quality control, industrial supply chain coordination
- Critical Services: 24/7 production floor operations, industrial control systems (SCADA), environmental safety monitoring (gas detection, temperature control, air quality), equipment control systems (hydraulic presses, processing furnaces), manufacturing resource planning (MRP) systems
- Technology: Enterprise MRP/ERP system, SCADA industrial control systems, production scheduling software, vendor coordination platforms, IT-to-OT network connections (office systems connected to operational technology), environmental monitoring systems
SteelCorp Manufacturing is a mid-sized industrial steel processor serving construction and manufacturing sectors. The facility performs high-precision steel processing, hydraulic press operations, and quality-controlled manufacturing for industrial clients. Current status: Largest contract in company history requires 50% production increase through Q4, facility running at maximum capacity to meet Friday delivery deadline representing $15M annual client relationship.
What’s At Risk:
- Worker Safety Systems: Environmental monitoring (gas detection, air quality, temperature alerts) and equipment control systems (hydraulic press operations, processing furnace controls) protect 80 production floor workers—compromise of safety instrumented systems risks worker exposure to hazardous conditions, equipment failures causing injury, OSHA-reportable incidents with criminal liability if injuries occur
- Production Continuity & Industrial Controls: SCADA systems control steel processing parameters, hydraulic operations, and manufacturing timing—operational technology compromise during maximum production period risks equipment damage ($500K+ repair costs), 4-6 week production halt, contract termination and 150 worker layoffs
- Critical Business Relationship: Friday delivery deadline for $15M annual client relationship with $200K per day contract penalties—production halt or delay triggers penalties, potential contract termination, negative industry references affecting 30% of future bid opportunities in construction supply sector
Wednesday morning, peak production for critical contract. SteelCorp activated maximum capacity operations for Q4 delivery schedule. All production lines running 24/7 to meet Friday deadline for major construction project. Largest contract in company history—$15M annual relationship with aggressive delivery requirements. Production floor supervisor reports 12 workstations across scheduling and vendor coordination experiencing performance degradation. Staff mention new “vendor efficiency software” appeared Tuesday evening after responding to supply chain optimization emails from apparent major vendor.
Mike Johnson (IT/OT Coordinator) investigating discovers “VendorOptimizer.exe” and “SupplyChainTool.exe” running on production systems—GaboonGrabber trojan actively attempting to access industrial control systems. Carlos Martinez (Plant Manager) admits expediting vendor software approval yesterday to avoid production delays. Linda Zhang (Operations Director) demanding production continue regardless of “IT issues”—Friday deadline represents company survival. Sarah Park (client project manager) calling twice daily, threatening contract penalties. IT discovers malware has accessed SCADA system credentials and is mapping industrial control networks. Environmental monitoring system displaying intermittent connectivity warnings. Hydraulic Press #3 showing abnormal equipment vibrations.
Critical Timeline:
- Current moment (Wednesday 9am): GaboonGrabber identified on production systems, SCADA credentials accessed, Friday delivery deadline in 48 hours
- Stakes: Worker safety systems potentially compromised, $200K daily contract penalties, $15M client relationship at risk, 400 employees dependent on contract continuation
- Dependencies: 80 workers on production floor requiring trustworthy safety monitoring, major construction project downstream depends on SteelCorp delivery (supply chain cascade), environmental monitoring integrity required for OSHA compliance and worker protection, client relationship critical to 30% of company revenue
Why This Vulnerability Exists:
- Production schedule overrides security verification: SteelCorp organizational culture dictates “operational responsiveness” as key performance indicator—Linda’s directive to “approve anything that prevents delays” created measurable incentive to bypass security review. Monthly operations meetings track approval speed as success metric. Mike admits bypassing normal vendor verification process for anything labeled “efficiency” or “optimization” during production crunch. Result: vendor software installed in hours without security analysis.
- IT/OT coordinator role stretched impossibly thin: Mike manages both information technology (office networks, email, administrative systems) and operational technology (SCADA, industrial controls, safety monitoring). No dedicated OT security expertise, no industrial control system training, minimal resources for manufacturing cybersecurity. Proposed network segmentation between IT and OT systems rejected as “too expensive” and “operationally restrictive.” IT-to-OT connections maintained for “workflow efficiency.”
- Production deadline pressure weaponized by attacker: GaboonGrabber campaign precisely timed for Q4 contract deadline—phishing emails Tuesday evening during maximum production stress. Attacker researched public contract announcements and manufacturing job postings (companies advertise production positions during high-output periods). Social engineering exploited understanding that operations staff approve vendor requests instantly during deadline pressure without security scrutiny.
- Industrial control system security gap: SteelCorp invested in IT security (firewalls, email filtering, endpoint protection) but minimal OT security. SCADA systems have no dedicated monitoring, safety instrumented systems lack integrity verification, environmental monitoring systems assumed trustworthy without validation. Vendor software can access both IT and OT networks through uncontrolled bridging connections.
How This Manufacturing Facility Actually Works:
SteelCorp operates under perpetual production pressure—construction industry contracts demand aggressive schedules with penalty clauses. The $15M client relationship represents largest contract ever secured. Management’s “operational responsiveness” culture means vendor software approval measured in hours not days. IT/OT coordinator is single person responsible for both office networks and industrial control systems—proposed OT security initiatives postponed for “when less busy” (never arrives during contract season). Network architecture reflects operational convenience over security: MRP systems directly connected to SCADA networks so production scheduling can interface with equipment controls. The gap between written policy (comprehensive vendor verification) and operational reality (instant approval during deadlines) created perfect conditions for GaboonGrabber exploitation.
- Carlos Martinez (Plant Manager) - Under extreme pressure to meet production quotas, expedited vendor software approval, represents frontline management caught between safety and deadlines
- Linda Zhang (Operations Director) - Focused entirely on Friday deadline, initially dismisses security concerns as “IT paranoia,” demonstrates operations-first mentality
- Mike Johnson (IT/OT Coordinator) - Managing both IT and OT with inadequate resources, admits to approval bypass under pressure, reveals stretched capacity
- Sarah Park (Major Client Project Manager) - Calling twice daily for updates, threatens contract penalties and termination, represents $15M relationship and industry reputation pressure
You’re not just responding to a trojan—you’re protecting industrial worker safety systems while preventing the collapse of a company’s largest contract. Environmental monitoring systems that detect gas leaks and temperature hazards cannot be trusted until verified—but verification halts production and guarantees contract penalties. SCADA systems controlling hydraulic presses and processing furnaces may be compromised—continuing production risks equipment damage and worker injury. The client threatens contract termination if Friday deadline is missed—but OSHA requires safety verification before production resumption after monitoring compromise. 150 families depend on this company’s survival. There’s no option that protects workers AND meets the deadline AND preserves the contract. You must choose what matters most under crushing time pressure.
- This is operational technology (OT) security, not just IT security: Players often focus on office network containment—redirect to industrial control systems. SCADA compromise means worker safety, not just data theft. Environmental monitoring integrity is life-safety critical.
- Production pressure is authentic manufacturing reality: Don’t let players dismiss Linda’s deadline focus as unreasonable. Construction contracts have penalty clauses. $200K/day is real consequence. Company survival depends on client relationships. This is normal industrial pressure that creates security vulnerabilities.
- Worker safety trumps everything: If players propose “continue production while investigating,” remind them environmental monitoring (gas detection, temperature alerts) potentially compromised. Cannot verify safety systems while using them in active production. OSHA liability if injury occurs.
- IT/OT coordinator role is common challenge: Mike isn’t incompetent—he’s resource-constrained. Many manufacturers have single person managing both IT and OT without proper training or tools. This is systemic industrial cybersecurity problem, not individual failure.
- No winning choice exists: Full safety verification misses deadline and loses contract. Production continuation risks worker injury. Partial approaches balance risk but don’t eliminate it. Force players to make difficult trade-offs with imperfect information and defend their priorities.