Certificate and Key Management for Manufacturing Organizations
Automate certificate lifecycle operations, enforce SSH key governance, and secure firmware releases across OT networks, SCADA systems, and industrial control environments. Built for IEC 62443, NIST CSF, and ISA/IEC 62443 compliance.
Why Manufacturing Organizations Struggle with Certificate and Key Management
OT/IT convergence exposes industrial systems to certificate management gaps
As manufacturing organizations connect operational technology networks to IT infrastructure for data analytics and remote monitoring, OT systems that previously operated in isolation now require TLS certificates for secure communication. IEC 62443-3-3 SR 3.1 requires communication integrity, but most OT environments lack certificate lifecycle management, leaving industrial protocols and data flows unprotected.
SCADA and HMI certificates are managed manually or not at all
SCADA servers, HMI panels, and historian databases increasingly use HTTPS and TLS for web-based interfaces and data transmission. Certificates on these systems are often self-signed, expired, or managed through ad-hoc processes. ISA/IEC 62443-4-2 CR 1.2 requires device identification and authentication, but manual certificate management cannot keep pace with the scale of modern manufacturing environments.
Supply chain integrity requires verifiable firmware and software provenance
Manufacturing supply chains involve firmware for PLCs, embedded controllers, and industrial robots sourced from multiple vendors. NIST CSF PR.DS-6 requires integrity checking mechanisms, and IEC 62443-4-1 requires secure development lifecycle practices including code signing. Without a centralized signing infrastructure, manufacturers cannot verify that firmware running on production floor equipment has not been tampered with.
Industrial protocol security depends on properly managed certificates
OPC UA, MQTT with TLS, and other industrial protocols rely on X.509 certificates for authentication and encryption. Certificate expiry or misconfiguration on OPC UA servers disrupts data collection from PLCs and sensors, causing production monitoring blind spots. Managing certificates across hundreds of OPC UA endpoints and MQTT brokers requires automation that most manufacturing IT teams lack.
SSH keys on engineering workstations and jump servers bypass OT access controls
Control engineers, integrators, and vendor support teams use SSH to access PLCs, RTUs, and engineering workstations through jump servers. SSH keys on these systems are rarely inventoried or rotated, creating persistent access paths into OT networks that bypass the zone and conduit segmentation required by IEC 62443-3-3.
How QCecuring Solves Certificate and Key Challenges in Manufacturing
Automated certificate discovery and renewal for OT and IT infrastructure
Discover certificates across SCADA servers, HMI panels, OPC UA endpoints, historian databases, and converged IT/OT infrastructure. Automate renewal workflows with maintenance-window-aware scheduling to prevent certificate expiry from disrupting production operations.
SSL/TLS Certificate Lifecycle ManagementCertificate governance for IEC 62443 compliance
Enforce certificate policies covering key algorithms, validity periods, and approved CAs across OT and IT environments. Generate audit-ready reports showing certificate inventory, rotation history, and policy compliance for IEC 62443 assessments and NIST CSF maturity evaluations.
SSL/TLS Certificate Lifecycle ManagementSSH key lifecycle management for OT access governance
Discover all SSH keys across engineering workstations, jump servers, and OT management planes. Enforce automated rotation schedules, remove orphaned keys from former integrators and vendors, and implement zone-aware access policies aligned with IEC 62443-3-3 zone and conduit requirements.
SSH Key Lifecycle ManagementJust-in-time SSH access for control engineers and vendor support
Replace persistent SSH keys with time-bound access grants for control engineers, system integrators, and vendor support teams accessing OT systems. Enforce approval workflows and session logging to maintain audit trails for IEC 62443 and NIST CSF access control requirements.
SSH Key Lifecycle ManagementFirmware and software signing for industrial control systems
Sign PLC firmware, embedded controller software, and industrial application packages with centrally managed signing keys stored in HSMs. Enforce signing policies that prevent unsigned or tampered firmware from being deployed to production floor equipment, supporting IEC 62443-4-1 secure development lifecycle requirements.
Code SigningUse Cases in Manufacturing
OPC UA certificate management across production facilities
A discrete manufacturer managing 500+ OPC UA endpoints across 12 production facilities automates certificate discovery and renewal. Certificate-related data collection failures drop to zero, and production monitoring maintains continuous visibility across all facilities.
SCADA infrastructure certificate remediation
A process manufacturer discovers 2,000+ certificates across SCADA servers, HMI panels, and historian databases — 40% of which are self-signed or expired. Automated certificate issuance from an approved CA and scheduled renewal workflows bring the entire OT infrastructure into compliance with IEC 62443-3-3 communication integrity requirements.
PLC firmware signing pipeline
An industrial automation company integrates QCecuring code signing into its PLC firmware build pipeline. Every firmware release is signed with HSM-backed keys, and field engineers verify signatures before deploying updates to production floor controllers. Unsigned firmware is flagged and blocked from deployment.
OT network SSH key remediation
A manufacturer discovers 10,000+ SSH keys across engineering workstations, jump servers, and OT management systems. 3,000 orphaned keys from former integrators and vendor support contracts are identified and removed. IEC 62443 audit findings related to remote access controls are closed within one quarter.
Explore QCecuring's Core Platforms
SSL/TLS Certificate Lifecycle Management
Automate certificate discovery, renewal, and governance across SCADA systems, OPC UA endpoints, and converged IT/OT infrastructure.
Learn moreSSH Key Lifecycle Management
Discover, rotate, and govern SSH keys across engineering workstations, jump servers, and OT management planes.
Learn moreCode Signing
Sign PLC firmware, embedded controller software, and industrial applications with HSM-backed keys and policy enforcement.
Learn moreManufacturing Certificate and Key Management FAQ
Which IEC 62443 requirements does QCecuring help address in manufacturing? +
QCecuring supports IEC 62443-3-3 requirements including SR 1.2 (software process and device identification using X.509 certificates), SR 1.5 (authenticator management through automated key rotation), SR 3.1 (communication integrity via TLS certificate management), and SR 3.4 (software and information integrity via code signing). The platform also supports IEC 62443-4-1 secure development lifecycle requirements through firmware signing.
How does QCecuring handle certificate management in air-gapped OT environments? +
QCecuring supports on-premises deployment for manufacturing environments with air-gapped or network-restricted OT zones. The platform can operate within the OT network perimeter using agent-based certificate discovery and management. For environments with controlled IT/OT connectivity, QCecuring manages certificates across both zones from a single control plane with zone-aware policies.
Can QCecuring manage certificates on OPC UA servers and clients? +
QCecuring discovers and manages X.509 certificates used by OPC UA servers and clients for application authentication and encrypted communication. The platform monitors certificate expiry across OPC UA endpoints, automates renewal workflows, and enforces certificate policies to maintain continuous secure communication between PLCs, SCADA systems, and data collection infrastructure.
How does QCecuring support NIST Cybersecurity Framework compliance for manufacturing? +
QCecuring addresses NIST CSF functions including Identify (PR.AM — certificate and key asset inventory), Protect (PR.AC — access control through SSH key governance, PR.DS — data security through TLS certificate management), and Detect (DE.CM — continuous monitoring of certificate health and policy compliance). The platform generates reports aligned with NIST CSF maturity tiers.
How does QCecuring handle maintenance windows for certificate renewal in production environments? +
QCecuring supports maintenance-window-aware certificate renewal scheduling. Renewal workflows can be configured to execute only during defined maintenance windows, avoiding certificate deployment during active production runs. For critical systems, QCecuring supports staged rollouts with pre-deployment validation to minimize production impact.
Can QCecuring manage SSH keys for vendor remote access to OT systems? +
QCecuring implements just-in-time SSH access for vendor support teams, providing time-bound credentials with approval workflows and session logging. When vendor access is no longer needed, keys are automatically revoked. This replaces persistent SSH keys that often remain active long after vendor engagements end, closing a common IEC 62443 access control gap.
Does QCecuring support firmware signing for PLCs and embedded controllers? +
QCecuring integrates into firmware build pipelines to sign PLC programs, embedded controller firmware, and industrial application packages with HSM-backed keys. The signing process generates cryptographic signatures that can be verified before deployment to production floor equipment. The platform maintains a complete audit trail of all signed artifacts for IEC 62443-4-1 compliance.
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