OT Penetration Tester - Wireless Network (GSM / RF Mesh)

GSSTech Group

The role focuses on evaluating the security, resilience, and performance of wireless infrastructure used in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) by conducting controlled testing and vulnerability assessments across communication protocols and networks.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform penetration testing and security assessments on RF Mesh and private GSM communication networks used in OT environments.
• Identify vulnerabilities in wireless communication channels, authentication mechanisms, and data transmission processes.

Functional Input / Output Validation

• Conduct black-box testing by sending varied inputs such as meter readings, commands, and alarms to RF mesh and GSM networks.
• Validate system outputs such as acknowledgments, alerts, and error responses.
• Test DLMS/COSEM protocol communication for structured metering data transmission.
• Evaluate communication using Wireless M-Bus for sub-metering and IoT-based devices.

Network Resilience & Interference Testing

• Simulate environmental disruptions such as:
• Signal jamming
• Node failures
• Network congestion
• Evaluate system recovery mechanisms and data integrity in RF mesh multi-hop networks and GSM infrastructure.
• Assess network performance across different frequency bands (e.g., PHONE_NUMBER MHz for RF mesh) used in large-scale AMI deployments.

Data Transmission Security & Protocol Compliance

• Evaluate encrypted DLMS communication across RF mesh and GSM networks.
• Test vulnerabilities in authentication, integrity validation, and protocol implementation.
• Validate Wireless M-Bus communication standards, particularly in 868 MHz frequency bands used for low-power metering devices.

Performance & Scalability Testing

• Perform stress testing and load simulations to replicate peak AMI usage scenarios.
• Test network behaviour during simultaneous communication from thousands of smart meters.
• Evaluate latency, throughput, and system scalability in event-driven and scheduled data transmission environments.

OT / Industrial Security

• Experience in OT penetration testing within ICS / Smart Grid / AMI environments
• Understanding of SCADA and industrial communication systems

Wireless Network Expertise

• Hands-on experience with:
• RF Mesh networks
• Private GSM networks
• Wireless communication protocols

Industrial Protocols

Strong knowledge of:

• DLMS/COSEM
• Wireless M-Bus
• AMI communication protocols
• Smart meter communication frameworks

Networking & Security

• Wireless network security testing
• Encryption and authentication testing
• Vulnerability assessment
• Network resilience and interference analysis