Automotive & suppliers · prototype protection

Pentest for automotive suppliers: plant site, R&D, prototype

TISAX is close to mandatory for suppliers in the German automotive industry. The full picture, with VDA ISA, Assessment Levels and labels, lives on our TISAX page. This page takes apart what a questionnaire cannot show: everything that physically surrounds a prototype. Plant site, R&D area, production network and the suppliers behind them, layer by layer, the way an exploded drawing takes a part apart.

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Title block

Assessment sheet, automotive site

Object of assessment
Plant site, R&D area, prototype storage, production network
Assessment depth
AL 1-3
all TISAX Assessment Levels covered
Report after testing
5 working days
mapped to the VDA ISA controls
Pentests completed
100+
physical, network-side and through social engineering

What Access Granted delivers is the test and the technical evidence. The TISAX label itself is issued by the ENX Association through approved audit providers, not by us.

The drawing

An automotive site, pulled apart

A prototype never stands on its own. Around it sit layers that can each fail by themselves: the plant gate, the R&D area, the hall next door, the suppliers behind it. Assembled, that looks like one closed site. Pulled apart, you can see which layer an attacker actually works on.

Parts list

01 Plant gate & perimeter Fence, turnstile, gatehouse, side entrance 02 R&D area CAD data, concept documents, prototype shop 03 Prototype & storage Test vehicle, covers, confidentiality area 04 Production network Line, control systems, remote maintenance 05 Supply chain Tier 2 and 3, providers, access from outside
currently in view within scope outside the scope

The drawing walks through the five layers by itself. Selecting a position stops it.

Pos. 01

Plant gate & perimeter

Fence, turnstile, gatehouse, side entrance

How an attacker works here

Almost everything that follows is decided at the plant gate. Anyone who turns up in a hi-vis vest with a clipboard and a plausible delivery is rarely asked for more. At a busy turnstile it is often enough to slip in right behind someone with a badge. Tailgating works best where a lot of people move in and out at the same time during a shift change, because asking questions would hold up the queue.

What we assess on this layer

We try to get in the way somebody without authorisation would: at gates, side entrances, goods-in and the visitor area, at busy times and quiet ones. What gets assessed is whether the gatehouse really checks badges, whether visitors are escorted, and whether anyone steps in when a stranger is standing in the plant. This is the part your auditor looks at during the on-site review at AL 3.

Physical pentest

Where the pressure comes from

The requirement comes down the chain, the attack comes up it

You are assessed by your customer, not by a regulator. That is what sets automotive apart from KRITIS or NIS2, and it does not make things any more relaxed: a customer can pull an order faster than an authority can open proceedings.

  1. OEM

    Manufacturer

    Asks for the evidence before data and parts start moving. BMW, VW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Audi require TISAX from their suppliers, and large Tier-1 suppliers such as Bosch and Continental pass the requirement on to their own suppliers.

  2. Tier 1

    Direct supplier

    Development, prototypes and series parts in house. Usually Assessment Level 2, and AL 3 where prototypes are involved.

  3. Tier 2/3

    Upstream suppliers

    Smaller, assessed less often, with the same access to data and plant sites as the large ones.

Requirement

From Assessment Level 2 upward, a review by an approved audit provider is part of the TISAX process, and AL 3 means a full on-site audit with document review and interviews. That is exactly where it gets checked whether plant sites, R&D areas and prototype storage hold up against a real access attempt.

Attack path

The attack takes the same route in the other direction. Anyone after a manufacturer's data looks for the point in the chain that is assessed least, and that is rarely the group at the top.

The full VDA ISA mapping, the differences between AL 1, AL 2 and AL 3 and the individual labels are on our TISAX page. Go to the TISAX page

A realistic scenario

From the plant gate to within sight of the prototype

Three steps, and at most sites that is all it takes. Each one looks harmless on its own, which is exactly why nobody intervenes at any of them.

  1. 01

    The pretext

    A tester shows up at the plant gate posing as an employee of a known supplier or a delivery driver, hi-vis vest, clipboard, and a plausible delivery in hand.

    What counts here: whether the gatehouse wants to see the badge or believes the story.

  2. 02

    The entry

    At a busy turnstile or a side door into the engineering wing, it is often enough to slip in right behind a badged employee. Tailgating works especially well wherever a lot of people are moving in and out at once.

    What counts here: whether somebody holds the door and asks, even though it feels rude.

  3. 03

    Proximity to the prototype

    Once inside the R&D area, it becomes clear whether covers, access zones, and camera coverage actually stop an unauthorized person from getting within sight of a camouflaged test vehicle unnoticed.

    What counts here: whether the route ends at this point or whether a photo would have been possible.

Every step is controlled and agreed in advance, including a designated contact who gets notified immediately if anything unexpected happens.

Scale

The Assessment Level your customer asks for sets the depth

TISAX knows three protection-need levels. Your customer says which one applies to you. For this page one figure matters most: from a high protection need onward the VDA ISA requires critical systems to be tested technically and names the penetration test as a means, and at AL 3 the on-site review is added.

AL 1

Normal protection need

What the auditor does
No external review, a qualified self-assessment is enough
Where it happens
No appointment required
Technical pentest
Recommended, voluntary

What we contribute

A compact test as voluntary additional evidence if you want to back up your own self-assessment. No label shareable on the ENX platform is produced at this level.

AL 2

High protection need

What the auditor does
An approved audit provider checks the self-assessment for plausibility against evidence and interviews
Where it happens
Usually by web conference
Technical pentest
Expected in practice

What we contribute

The pentest report the auditor expects as technical evidence, with the findings mapped to the VDA ISA controls. The most common level for Tier-1 suppliers.

AL 3

Very high protection need

What the auditor does
Full audit with document review and interviews, the deepest review TISAX has
Where it happens
On site at your company
Technical pentest
Expected, extended scope

What we contribute

The physical part in full: access attempt, prototype areas, sight lines, plus the infrastructure pentest. This is the level at which a prototype has to be protected.

The labels hang off these levels: Confidential is typically evidenced through AL 2, Strictly Confidential exclusively through AL 3 with a full on-site audit. A label once issued is valid for three years. Assessment Levels in detail

Tolerance field

What is on this sheet and what is not

A drawing that does not say where the part ends is not a drawing. So here it is in writing: what we take on, and what you have to commission elsewhere.

Within scope

  • The simulated access attempt on the plant site, into R&D areas and prototype storage, at gates, side entrances and during shift change.
  • The physical side of prototype protection: access zones, sight lines, camera blind spots, how covers are handled day to day, handover to transport.
  • Social engineering as preparation and as an assessment part of its own, from the pretext at the plant gate to the phishing mail into engineering.
  • Network-side testing: segmentation between administration, R&D and production, remote maintenance access, Active Directory.
  • A report that maps the findings to the VDA ISA controls and that you can hand to your auditor, five working days after testing ends.

Outside the scope

  • The TISAX label. Labels are issued by the ENX Association through approved audit providers. We deliver the test, the evidence and the preparation for it.
  • Legal advice and the legal reading of your contracts. What your customer requires of you is in your supply agreement, not in our report.
  • Vehicle electronics: control units, bus systems and the software in the vehicle. That takes its own equipment and its own people.
  • Building your ISMS. We assess whether the measures hold up in practice and write down where they do not. The documentation itself stays with you.

TISAX is a registered trademark of the ENX Association. ISO 27001

What can happen

Continental: ransomware hits Tier-1 suppliers too

Continental AG · 2022 · based on public reporting

In 2022, Continental, one of the largest Tier-1 suppliers in the German automotive industry, was, according to media reports, targeted by the LockBit ransomware group. The case shows that even established, well-secured suppliers are not immune to ransomware, regardless of size or TISAX maturity.

What we take from it

A passed assessment describes a state on one particular day. The site after that is a different one: a new hall, a new service provider, a new remote maintenance account. That is why a rhythm has proven itself in which the full test comes before the assessment and a shorter one follows every year for whatever has changed.

Based on public reporting. Access Granted was not involved in this incident.

More cases and projects

Parts list of the tests

These modules round out your TISAX assessment

For the physical and network side of your security evidence, this combination has proven itself with automotive suppliers. Which modules you actually need depends on the Assessment Level and on what stands on your site.

  1. 01

    Physical pentest

    Simulated access to plant sites, engineering wings and prototype areas, exactly the part the auditor looks at during the on-site review at AL 3. VDA ISA covers physical security, access control and the protection of server rooms in a chapter of its own.

    LayerPos. 01 & 03 Learn more
  2. 02

    Social engineering

    The pretext at the plant gate, the call into engineering, the mail to the prototype shop. VDA ISA treats awareness as part of security management, and a test shows faster than any course where the gap sits.

    LayerPos. 01 & 02 Learn more
  3. 03

    OT/ICS pentest

    Security testing of manufacturing lines and control systems, without putting ongoing production at risk. Passive capture, agreed test windows, no active interference with plant that is currently producing.

    LayerPos. 04 Learn more
  4. 04

    Infrastructure pentest

    Network segmentation between R&D, production and administration, including access rights and remote maintenance access. Covers the IT side that VDA ISA asks for in technical evidence.

    LayerPos. 04 & 05 Learn more
  5. 05

    Training & awareness

    After the test, the session with the people who featured in it: gatehouse, plant security, engineering. Based on your own findings instead of invented examples, which in our experience sticks for longer.

    LayerPos. 01 & 02 Learn more

Process

How the test runs at your site

Four steps, one of them on site. Testing typically takes between 3 and 10 working days, depending on scope and Assessment Level.

  1. WhereVideo call, 30 minutes

    01Initial call and scope

    We clarify which Assessment Level your customer requires, which sites belong to it and whether prototype areas are involved. After that you normally get a fixed quote within 24 hours.

  2. Wherein writing, before the test

    02Rules of engagement

    Time windows, areas, exclusion zones and emergency contacts are agreed in advance with plant security and plant management. One designated contact knows what is happening and can stop the test at any time, nobody else does, otherwise the result would be worthless.

  3. Where3 to 10 working days, part of it on site

    03The test

    The access attempt runs the way a real intruder would go about it. Lines are not stopped, machines are not touched, occupational safety comes first. If a tester runs into a situation that could disrupt operations, they stop.

  4. WhereVideo call, 5 working days later

    04Report and debrief

    The report arrives five working days after testing ends, with the findings mapped to the VDA ISA controls, prioritised and with photos as evidence. In the debrief we go through it with you before your auditor sees it.

Most teams only learn in the debrief that the test took place, and that is precisely the result.

Frequently asked questions

Automotive & prototype protection: your questions

Our TISAX page covers the full topic: VDA ISA controls, Assessment Levels AL 1 through AL 3, TISAX labels, and the comparison to ISO 27001. This page deliberately zooms in on one slice of that, physical access to plant sites and prototype areas, because it is often the least-tested part.

Prototype protection is its own TISAX assessment module for protecting test vehicles and parts from unauthorized viewing: covers, camouflage, secure storage, transport, and access control for the relevant areas. Behind it sit several assessment objects rather than a single label, depending on whether it is about parts, prototype vehicles, test vehicles or events and film or photo shoots. You will find the details and the associated labels on our TISAX page.

Yes. Smaller suppliers are increasingly a target precisely because they are often seen as an easier way into a larger OEM supply chain. We scale scope and depth to your company size and Assessment Level.

It depends on the number and size of your sites, and whether social engineering should be included as preparation. A short initial call is enough to narrow it down, after which you get a fixed quote, normally within 24 hours.

The physical core, the simulated access attempt itself, yes, that cannot be done remotely. Preparation, scoping, and the debrief run as usual over video call, so on-site time stays limited to the actual test.

Not if it is planned properly. We agree time windows, areas and emergency contacts with plant security and plant management in advance and stick to the rules of engagement. What we test is how a real intruder would proceed: entry attempts at gates and side entrances, tailgating at shift change, the route from the visitor area to the prototype store. Lines are not stopped, machines are not touched, occupational safety comes first. If a tester runs into a situation that could disrupt operations, they stop. Most teams only learn in the debrief that the test took place, and that is precisely the result.

A TISAX label is valid for three years, but VDA ISA asks for regular review of the technical measures, not just one review at assessment time. In practice a full test before the assessment has proven itself, followed each year by a shorter one covering whatever has changed: a new site, a new remote maintenance account, a rebuilt prototype store. That way the re-assessment meets an unbroken chain of evidence instead of a three-year-old report.

You get our report, nobody else. What you let flow from it into your TISAX result is your decision. The results themselves are not published but shared through the ENX platform, and five release levels from A to E let you set there how much detail a requesting partner may see.

For a customer in the automotive industry, usually not. TISAX builds on ISO/IEC 27001 and adds requirements from the VDA ISA catalogue, prototype protection for one does not exist there. Existing ISO 27001 evidence is taken into account in a TISAX audit but does not replace it. The technical part of the evidence is the same for both, so a pentest pays into both.

Little about the physical part, more about the reporting. VDA ISA 6.0 has been binding for newly commissioned assessments since 1 April 2024 and adds controls on crisis management, IT service continuity and backup and recovery, among others, plus availability labels of its own. Our mapping follows the current catalogue, so there is nothing for you to convert.

Ready to put your plant site to the test?

In 30 minutes we will discuss your scope, clarify what matters for prototype protection and the site walkthrough, and you will get a free, no-obligation quote.

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Address
Albert-Einstein-Straße 1, 95028 Hof
E-Mail
hello@access-granted.de
Phone
+49 9281 5918506

AccessGranted X GmbH · HRB 7266 · Hof (Saale)

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© AccessGranted X GmbH Last updated: September 19, 2026