FREE OT/ICS Cybersecurity Labs: 8 GitHub Repos You Can’t Afford to Miss (2026 Guide) + Video

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Introduction:

Operational Technology (OT) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS) cybersecurity has become a critical frontier as attacks on power grids, water treatment plants, and manufacturing lines escalate. Unlike traditional IT security, OT/ICS requires understanding proprietary protocols like Modbus, DNP3, and Profinet, plus hands-on practice in simulated industrial environments—exactly what the eight free GitHub repositories listed below deliver.

Learning Objectives:

• Build a realistic OT/ICS virtual lab for offensive and defensive security testing using GRFICS and pre-built simulation environments.
• Capture and analyze industrial protocol traffic (Modbus, Profinet) to identify anomalies and potential exploits.
• Deploy OT-specific honeypots and penetration testing toolkits to understand attacker behavior and harden industrial networks.

You Should Know:

1. Setting Up a Graphical Industrial Control Simulation Lab (GRFICS)
   GRFICS provides a full-fledged virtual industrial plant with a simulated chemical process, a human-machine interface (HMI), and attack vectors. This open-source environment runs on Docker and VirtualBox, letting you practice attacks like Modbus command injection while watching real-time tank levels and valve states.

Step‑by‑step guide:

• Install prerequisites: Docker, Docker Compose, and Git on Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+) or Windows (via WSL2).
• Clone the GRFICS repository:

  git clone https://github.com/GRFICS/grfics.git
  cd grfics
  

• Launch the lab using the provided script:

  ./start.sh
  

• Access the HMI at `http://localhost:8080` and the attacker machine via VNC (port 5900).
• Use the embedded Kali Linux container to run a Modbus scanner:

  nmap -p 502 --script modbus-discover <target_IP>
  

• Simulate an attack by writing a malicious coil value:

  from pymodbus.client import ModbusTcpClient
  client = ModbusTcpClient('192.168.1.10')
  client.write_coil(1, True)  Override valve state
  

• Monitor the HMI gauge to see the physical impact.

1. Capturing and Analyzing OT Protocol Traffic with Wireshark
   Packet captures (PCAPs) from real industrial environments are invaluable for learning how Modbus, Profinet, and S7comm work. The linked GitHub repos offer curated PCAPs that include normal operations and attack traces.

Step‑by‑step guide:

• Download the packet capture repository:

  git clone https://github.com/ics-pcaps/ot-protocol-captures
  cd ot-protocol-captures
  

• Open a PCAP (e.g., modbus_write_single_coil.pcapng) in Wireshark:

  wireshark modbus_write_single_coil.pcapng
  

• Apply a display filter to isolate Modbus traffic: modbus.
• Examine the transaction ID, function code (e.g., 05 for write coil), and data values.
• For deeper analysis, extract Modbus payloads using tshark:

  tshark -r modbus_traffic.pcap -Y "modbus.func_code == 5" -T fields -e modbus.obj_addr -e modbus.data
  

• On Windows, use PowerShell and Wireshark’s `tshark.exe` from the installation directory.
• Correlate normal vs. malicious patterns (e.g., repetitive coil writes indicating a denial-of-service attempt).

1. Deploying Conpot – The Most Popular OT/ICS Honeypot
   Conpot simulates industrial devices like a Siemens S7-200 PLC or a Modbus server, capturing attacker reconnaissance and exploitation attempts. It runs as a low‑interaction honeypot, perfect for learning threat intelligence gathering.

Step‑by‑step guide:

• Install Conpot on a Linux machine (Ubuntu recommended):

  sudo apt update && sudo apt install conpot -y
  

• Or run via Docker:

  docker run -p 80:80 -p 102:102 -p 502:502 -p 161:161/udp mushorg/conpot
  

• Edit the default template to simulate a water treatment plant: modify `/etc/conpot/conpot.cfg` and set template = water_treatment.
• Start Conpot in the foreground:

  conpot --template default
  

• From an attacking machine, scan for open Modbus port 502:

  nmap -p 502 -sV <honeypot_IP>
  

• Use `modbus-cli` to attempt a read operation:

  modbus read-holding-registers 1 0 10
  

• Review Conpot’s JSON logs (/var/log/conpot/conpot.log) to see the attacker’s IP, commands, and timestamp.
• Integrate with Elasticsearch for real‑time dashboards (see Conpot documentation).

1. Using OT-Specific Penetration Testing Tools – The Ultimate Toolkit
   Two GitHub repos aggregate dozens of tools for ICS pentesting, including plcscan, modbus-cli, s7‑explorer, and profinet‑scanner. These allow safety‑assessed testing inside authorized lab environments.

Step‑by‑step guide:

• Clone the master tools list:

  git clone https://github.com/ot-pentesting/awesome-ot-ics-tools
  cd awesome-ot-ics-tools
  

• Install `modbus-cli` (Node.js required):

  npm install -g modbus-cli
  

• Enumerate Modbus devices:

  modbus scan <target_IP> --start 1 --end 20
  

• For Siemens S7 PLCs, use s7‑explorer:

  git clone https://github.com/s7-explorer/s7-explorer.git
  cd s7-explorer && make
  ./s7-explorer <PLC_IP>
  

• Dump the PLC’s DB block:

  ./s7-explorer <PLC_IP> --read-db 1
  

• For Profinet networks, run profinet-scanner:

  python3 profinet_scanner.py -i eth0 -t 10.0.0.0/24
  

• Always test in an isolated lab – never against live infrastructure.

1. Mitigating Modbus Vulnerabilities – Firewall Hardening & Anomaly Detection
   After understanding attack patterns, learn to protect OT networks. Use Linux `iptables` or Windows `netsh` to restrict Modbus access, and deploy Zeek (formerly Bro) for anomaly detection on industrial traffic.

Step‑by‑step guide (Linux):

• Limit Modbus (TCP/502) to only trusted PLC programming stations:

  sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 502 -s 192.168.1.0/24 -j ACCEPT
  sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 502 -j DROP
  

• Install Zeek for traffic analysis:

  sudo apt install zeek -y
  

• Clone a community ICS script (e.g., for Modbus write-coil detection):

  git clone https://github.com/zeek/zeek-ics-scripts
  cp zeek-ics-scripts/modbus/ /usr/local/zeek/share/zeek/site/
  

• Enable the script in local.zeek:

  @load modbus/write-coil-detection
  

• Start Zeek on the monitor interface:

  zeek -i eth1 /usr/local/zeek/share/zeek/site/local.zeek
  

• On Windows, use `New-NetFirewallRule` in PowerShell to block remote Modbus:

  New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block Modbus" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 502 -Action Block
  

1. Exploring T‑Mobile’s OT Honeypot & Alternative Capability Repos
   The T‑Mobile honeypot (linked as lnkd.in/emiiasR3) is a lesser‑known gem designed to emulate cellular‑backhaul industrial routers. It captures attacks on SNMP, SSH, and Modbus tunnels.

Step‑by‑step guide:

• Clone the T-Mobile repository (actual name approximated; adjust once URL resolved):

  git clone https://github.com/tmobile/ot-honeypot
  cd ot-honeypot
  

• Review the Dockerfile and build the image:

  docker build -t tm-ot-honeypot .
  

• Run with exposed services:

  docker run -p 22:22 -p 161:161/udp -p 502:502 tm-ot-honeypot
  

• Simulate an attack from another container:

  docker run -it alpine sh
  apk add nmap
  nmap -p 502,161,22 <honeypot_container_IP>
  

• Check logs for captured credentials and SNMP community strings. The T-Mobile implementation is production‑hardened, making it suitable for learning realistic deception techniques.

What Undercode Say:

• Key Takeaway 1: Free GitHub resources like GRFICS, Conpot, and packet captures provide a complete, risk‑free OT/ICS cyber range, enabling anyone from students to seasoned pentesters to master industrial protocols without expensive hardware.
• Key Takeaway 2: Combining virtual labs with real traffic analysis and honeypot deployment builds practical skills to defend critical infrastructure—skills that are urgently needed as nation‑state attacks on OT environments rise 300% year over year.

Analysis: The post by Mike Holcomb highlights a critical gap in OT/ICS training—affordable, hands-on resources. These eight repos bridge that gap by offering simulation, packet analysis, tooling, and deception. Integrate them into a structured learning path: start with GRFICS to understand the environment, then analyze PCAPs to see normal vs. malicious traffic, deploy Conpot to catch real scans, and finally apply hardening commands. The inclusion of T-Mobile’s honeypot and UtilSec’s additional content shows the community’s commitment to open security. Without such free resources, the shortage of qualified OT/ICS defenders would cripple industrial sectors. Undercode recommends weekly lab sessions using these repos, coupled with MITRE ATT&CK for ICS mapping.

Prediction:

As industrial environments adopt IIoT and 5G, attack surfaces will expand exponentially, making OT/ICS cybersecurity a multi‑billion‑dollar necessity. We predict that open‑source labs like GRFICS will become standard training for regulatory compliance (e.g., NERC CIP, IEC 62443). Moreover, AI‑driven analysis of honeypot logs from repos like Conpot will fuel next‑generation threat intelligence, while cloud‑based versions of these labs will emerge as a service (LaaS). Organizations that fail to leverage these free resources will face irrecoverable operational downtime within the next 24 months.

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