Semiconductor / operational program
Malware-Free Equipment and Legacy Patch Program
An operational SEMI E188 intake program plus a patch and AV strategy, built on E191 status reporting, that works for toolsets the vendor stopped supporting years ago.
Best forFabs and OSATs that need a working process for clean equipment intake and a defensible answer to the legacy patching problem.
Service overview
Malware walks into fabs through the front door
The most common infection path in semiconductor manufacturing is not a sophisticated network attack. It is a maintenance laptop, a USB stick, or a returning tool carrying malware straight through the loading dock. SEMI E188 exists because this keeps happening: the 2018 WannaCry-variant outbreak at a leading foundry, introduced during a tool install, cost an estimated USD 170 million in a single quarter.
We build the operational program: intake validation stations, media controls, supplier requirements, and the patch and AV strategy, driven by E191 device status reporting, that answers the hardest question in fab security: how do you defend toolsets that can never be patched?
Program components
- E188 equipment intake validation process and scanning station design
- Removable media and maintenance laptop control program
- Supplier security requirements and contractual language
- Patch feasibility classification across the tool fleet, built on the E191 OS inventory
- Compensating control design for unpatchable legacy toolsets
- AV and allowlisting strategy compatible with tool constraints
Our approach
Engagement methodology
The steps of the engagement, designed around the operational constraints of live industrial environments.
Intake path mapping
We map every path equipment, media, and maintenance devices take into your fab, identifying the gaps where malware currently walks in unchecked.
E188 intake program design
Scanning stations, validation procedures, quarantine workflows, and supplier obligations are designed to fit your receiving and maintenance operations.
Fleet patch feasibility classification
Every tool group is classified by patch feasibility: patchable, patchable-with-requalification, and never-patchable, creating an honest baseline from E191 status data.
Compensating control deployment plan
For legacy classes, we design allowlisting, isolation, and monitoring controls that reduce risk without touching requalification status.
Operationalisation and handover
Procedures, training, and metrics are handed to your team so the program runs without us, with quarterly review checkpoints if desired.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Talk to RelyBlue
Ready to discuss Malware-Free Equipment and Legacy Patch Program?
An honest conversation about your OT environment. No sales pressure, no fear tactics.
- You talk to a senior advisor, never a salesperson