OT Session Governance: Continuous Control of Every Privileged Remote Session in Critical Infrastructure
Your Perimeter Stops Intrusions. Your IAM Grants Access. But Who Governs What Happens During the Session?
Your firewall, MFA, and PAM confirm who connects to your SCADA systems. But once the session starts, nothing governs what happens inside it — the Governance Gap that enabled unauthorised commands in Oldsmar and persistent state-sponsored access through Volt Typhoon.
Keystrike closes that gap. Purpose-built for OT, ICS, and SCADA, it maps every remote session in real time, blocks unauthorised commands before execution through deterministic enforcement, and generates cryptographically attested audit records mapped to NERC CIP, IEC 62443, and NIST requirements.
Deploys in 20 minutes. No endpoint agents. No keylogging.
How Keystrike Governs OT Sessions
Your identity tools grant access. Your SIEM logs what happened. Keystrike governs what happens during the live session. You don't have to rip out or replace the tools you already have. Keystrike is the essential final piece that makes your existing stack deliver Continuous Access Governance.
SEE — Live Visibility
Discover and map every remote access session in your OT environment in real time. See sessions across RDP, SSH, PowerShell, WinRM, WMI, SMB, TeamViewer, and NinjaOne — including connections from unmanaged or unknown clients that your existing tools cannot see.
CONTROL — Real-Time Enforcement
Verify that every command originates from a verified physical human operator. Block unauthorised commands through deterministic enforcement before they reach your OT systems. Zero false positives — because enforcement is based on cryptographic attestation, not probabilistic analysis.
PROVE — Continuous Governance
Generate tamper-evident session records for every remote access event. Map directly to NERC CIP, IEC 62443, EPA, and NIST requirements. Deliver audit-ready evidence and board-level governance reporting without manual log compilation.
Documented OT Cyberattacks on Water, Energy, and Utility Infrastructure and the Session Gap That Enabled Them
Unauthorised Remote Commands in Water and Energy SCADA Systems
Hijacked sessions and unverified remote commands are sufficient to cause operational disruption — no full system compromise required. A single automated or malicious command can trip a breaker, shut down a pump, or alter water pressure.
Keystrike response: Keystrike blocks every unattested command in real time. Only verified physical operator input reaches OT systems — whether the session is hijacked, credentials are stolen, or the command originates from an automated script.
- Unauthorised commands stopped before execution
- Operational continuity across water, energy, and electricity infrastructure
- Full support for remote operations and hybrid control rooms
Third-Party Vendor Access as an OT Attack Vector
Utilities depend on contractors and vendors for maintenance and monitoring. Compromised vendor credentials are among the most common initial access vectors in OT environments — and once inside, no session-level verification exists to stop what happens next.
Keystrike response: Keystrike validates every vendor and contractor action before execution. Compromised credentials cannot produce commands that pass Keystrike's physical attestation requirement.
- Third-party sessions governed at the command level
- Vendor collaboration preserved without expanding the attack surface
- No network re-architecture required
IT-to-OT Lateral Movement: Stopping Attackers Before They Cross the Air Gap
Most OT breaches begin in IT. Attackers use phishing, stolen credentials, or vendor access to move laterally into operational control systems — exploiting the absence of session-level verification between IT and OT environments.
Keystrike response: Keystrike enforces session-level isolation between IT and OT. Stolen credentials and compromised IT sessions cannot produce attested commands in OT systems — regardless of how network access was achieved.
- Lateral movement from IT to OT blocked at the session level
- IT/OT segmentation enforced without network re-architecture
- Pumps, valves, turbines, meters, and substations protected from unverified commands
Completing the OT Security Stack
Your Gatekeeper grants access. Your Historian logs events. Keystrike is the Governor — governing what happens during the live session.
| Tools | What It Does | Post-Authentication Gap |
|---|---|---|
| IAM / PAM / MFA | Grants access | Blind after the session starts |
| SIEM / SOAR / XDR | Logs events after the fact | Detection is reactive — damage is already done |
| Keystrike | Governs the live session | None. Unauthorised commands blocked before execution. |
Keystrike does not record keystrokes, credentials, or personally identifiable information. Session verification is cryptographic — not behavioural — eliminating false positives and privacy exposure.
The Post-Authentication Risk in Numbers
of OT environments have insecure remote access connections
Dragos, 2024 OT Cybersecurity Year in Review
of OT vulnerabilities reside in the internal network, post-perimeter
Dragos, 2024 OT Cybersecurity Year in Review
surge in attacks using stolen credentials in industrial environments
IBM X-Force, 2024 Threat Intelligence Index
Manufacturing was the most-targeted sector for cyberattacks for the 5th consecutive year
IBM X-Force, 2025 Threat Intelligence Index
of manufacturing cyberattacks involved credential theft or abuse
Verizon DBIR 2024
of energy sector breaches involved third-party or partner access
Verizon DBIR 2024, Energy subset
of water and wastewater systems had undocumented remote access connections
WaterISAC / CISA Advisory, 2024
Meeting NERC CIP, IEC 62443, EPA, and NIST Requirements Without Disrupting Operations
NERC CIP requires organisations to log and monitor all electronic access to critical cyber assets. IEC 62443 mandates access control and security zone enforcement for industrial control systems. EPA guidance requires utilities to document and audit remote access to operational technology. Keystrike satisfies each requirement by producing continuous, tamper-evident, session-level records of every privileged action, without recording personally identifiable information or requiring changes to existing infrastructure.
Continuous logs of every privileged action, structured for audit
Session evidence meeting NERC CIP, IEC 62443, and EPA standards
On-demand evidence for regulatory review and incident response
Keystrike integrates natively with SCADA, ICS, IAM, and SIEM systems — enforcing policy-driven access controls, logging every operator action, and generating audit-ready evidence for board reporting, incident response, and regulatory review.
Keystrike Delivers What Your Role Demands
CONTROL — Real-Time Enforcement
You need certainty that every remote session in your OT environment is governed — not just logged. Keystrike gives you real-time enforcement: deterministic command verification that blocks unauthorised actions before they execute, with zero false positives.
PROVE — Continuous Governance
You need evidence — not just policies. Keystrike gives you provable governance: tamper-evident session records mapped directly to NERC CIP, IEC 62443, and NIST requirements. Every remote access session generates audit-ready evidence automatically.
SEE — Live Visibility
You need to see what is happening right now — especially the sessions your existing tools miss. Keystrike gives you live visibility: a real-time map of every remote access connection, across every protocol, including sessions from unmanaged and unknown clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is session governance for OT environments?
How does Keystrike differ from OT network monitoring tools like Dragos or Claroty?
Does Keystrike require agents on OT endpoints or PLCs?
Does Keystrike replace our PAM or IAM?
Does Keystrike replace our SIEM or XDR?
How does Keystrike handle third-party vendor remote access?
Does Keystrike record or store keystrokes?
Can Keystrike operate in air-gapped or segmented OT networks?
What compliance frameworks does Keystrike support for critical infrastructure?
Global Water Resources Secures OT Without User Friction
"In about 20 minutes, I had Keystrike up and running. The deployment is simple, well thought out, with clear documentation. Now Keystrike helps us establish that commands are genuine and trustworthy by detecting lurking attackers and blocking when they inject themselves into active sessions. With the combination of powerful technology and ease of deployment, I highly recommend Keystrike."
Close the Post-Authentication Gap Before Your Next Audit — or Incident
Compromised credentials, hijacked sessions, and unverified vendor access remain the three leading causes of OT operational disruption. Keystrike makes every privileged session visible, verifiable, and policy-controlled — deploying alongside your existing infrastructure without replacing tools or disrupting operations.