Power · Technical
Control centre, substations and the paths between them, rebuilt where you can break them.
Coldlight builds the twin from your architecture, baseline configurations and asset inventory. It runs contained, so a test cannot reach the grid. Rebuild it exactly, as often as you need.
CIP-010-4 asks you to document the differences between a test environment and production. Because the twin is defined as code, its definition shows exactly what the test environment contains.
Each system is represented at the fidelity the test needs. Where a test depends on real behaviour, the twin runs the vendor’s own software or appliance.
What you can test
- 01Test each change against the baseline before it reaches production.
- 02Run active vulnerability assessments without risk to the grid.
- 03Check segmentation and remote-access paths after every change.
- 04Run attack scenarios against the twin, scripted or live.
- 05Rehearse incident response and recovery plans, step by step.
- 06Evaluate AI tools and agents under containment, and see exactly what they did.
What the twin can represent
01
Control centre
SCADA and energy management systems, historians and engineering workstations.
- SCADA and EMS
- Historian
- Engineering workstations
02
Substations
Gateways, RTUs, protection and control devices, and station networks.
- Gateways
- RTUs
- Protection relays
03
Generation
Plant control systems and their networks.
- Plant control
- Plant networks
04
IT and OT boundary
Corporate IT, demilitarized zones and the paths between them.
- Corporate IT
- DMZ
05
Remote access
Vendor and operator remote access paths.
- Vendor access
- Operator access
06
Communications
Links between the control centre and its sites.
- Site links
Fidelity
Level 1
Containers
Cost-efficient representations of hosts, services and networks.
Level 2
Virtual machines
The real operating systems and software that your systems run.
Level 3
Appliances
Real or virtual appliances, where the test depends on them.
Synthetic users, scripted or live adversary activity, and defensive tools or agents can run in the same environment.
Third-party software can run under licences you already hold, or we can arrange it as a cost of the engagement.
The rules
NERC CIP-010-4 R1.5
Where technically feasible, test each change to a high impact BES Cyber System that deviates from the baseline, in a test environment or in production in a manner that minimizes adverse effects, that models the baseline configuration. Document the results and the differences between the test and production environments.
NERC CIP-010-4 R3.2
Where technically feasible, at least once every 36 calendar months, perform an active vulnerability assessment of high impact BES Cyber Systems in such an environment.
NERC in Canada
NERC reliability standards are mandatory and enforceable, or becoming so, in almost all Canadian provinces connected to the bulk electric system.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1366
The EU Network Code on Cybersecurity sets a recurring cycle of cybersecurity risk assessments for the electricity sector.
Bill C-8
In Canada, the Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act, enacted by Bill C-8 in June 2026, sets a framework for designated operators in the energy sector. It comes into force in phases.
Every environment
Contained by default
What runs inside an environment stays inside it unless you decide otherwise.
Rebuilt exactly
Environments are defined as code. Reset one, change one thing and run the test again.
A record of every run
Every run leaves a record you can review. Compare results across runs and configurations.
The fidelity each test needs
Use lightweight representations where they are enough, and real software and appliances where the test needs them.
Technology-neutral
Open-source, commercial, proprietary and customer-built technology can all be included.
Open formats
Environment definitions use an open, portable specification, so your work is not locked to us.
Where it runs
Hosted
Coldlight as a service. Hosted environments can run in Canada and other jurisdictions.
On-premises
Coldlight inside your own boundary, on infrastructure you control.
Air-gapped
Coldlight on networks with no outside connection.
We can also operate Coldlight for you, and help design environments, deliver exercises and support evaluations.
