13 June 2025
In this write-up you will use the SCADA Systems article, along with your own research, to explain the vulnerabilities associated with critical infrastructure systems, and the role SCADA applications play in mitigating these risks.
Critical infrastructure systems have been proven over time to be vulnerable to cyber threats and attacks. Proper measures from SCADA can help decrease, or even prevent, the possible cyber threats that are attempted on these crucial systems.
Critical Infrastructure Systems Vulnerabilities
There are many types of organizations that use the critical infrastructure systems (CIs) for their services. This includes healthcare, government activities and communications, power and water distribution, gasoline pipelines, etc. (Hivre et al., 2024, 1). One CI depends on the operation of all other CIs (Osei-Kyei et al., 2021, 1). If anything were to disturb the operation of one then the others become affected, thus disrupting their operations as well. This becomes a regional and national problem once these disturbances occur because of the important functions that depend on these CIs. The CIs are highly complex operations that are difficult to manage possible threats that could shut down the whole system. The threats include “natural disasters, cyber threats, technical damages, human errors, and malicious attacks have the possibility to disrupt governments’ efforts to develop resilient CIs system or network” (Osei-Kyei et al., 2021, 1). If these threats successfully do cause a shut down of a CI, the economy and society will become nonfunctional until the threat has been resolved. With the increasing development of technology, cyber threats have become an increased problem over the years. This is because the methods for planning and executing a cyber attack involve a faster time rate for the attack as well as the use of sophisticated and complicated systems to gain access into the CIs. The issue that stems from this increased risk of cyber threats is the lack of experts that can analyze and create a response to the attacks, making the response time longer than it should be (Osei-Kyei et al., 2021, 7).
Mitigation by SCADA Systems
The supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) is a system that is widely used to control the CIs processes. It is important to note that SCADA does not control the processes in real-time. The CIs gather the information in real-time, sending this data to SCADA, SCADA transfers the data to the Human Machine Interface (HMI), where the human operator uses this data to control processes (Parida, 2023). SCADA’s control can be large-scale with multiple sites across long distances or can be smaller-scale in shorter distance. There are a few practices for SCADA to remain secure (Parida, 2023). First is implemented layer defense. This is the multiple layers of security measures to slow down and even prevent the cyber attack from having immediate access to the data. An example of a layered defense is the use of firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encryption to protect data that is in transit (Parida, 2023). Next is the patching and updating of SCADA, as well as testing those patches to ensure the system can run without any issues from the patches. Another practice for security is the limited access to authorized personnel. Employees who work in a certain section will receive access to that specific information and data through the use of strong password and authorization methods. The consistent monitoring for cyber threats and having plans in place that allow the proper response of a cyber threat is greatly important. The plan will allow the proper practices to minimize a cyber attack and allow the system to run again quickly after the threat is neutralized. Finally, the regular training and raising awareness for the employees. Since human error can result in the success of an attack through phishing and/or weak passwords, it is crucial that employees are updated and educated often to learn the potential risks of cyber threats and how they can help avoid them.
Conclusion
CIs are a crucial part of many functions in our economy and society. CIs control gas pipes, water pumps, electricity, government functions, and so much more. These systems rely on each other in order to properly function. If the cybersecurity is weak, then the economy and society face the possibility of a crisis. SCADA has the ability to ensure that these CIs are functioning appropriately by collecting data sent by these facilities. The data is to be handled only by authorized personnel who are meant to work with this information to control the processes. Keeping SCADA up to date and educating the employees on cyber safety can help minimize the overall cybersecurity of these crucial CIs.
References
Hivre, S., Jadhav, S., Shahapure, S., Mhatre, S., & Kadam, V. (2024). Securing Critical Infrastructure: A Comprehensive Exploration of Modern SCADA Risk Management Strategies. In 2024 IEEE International Conference on Blockchain and Distributed Systems Security (ICBDS): Pune, India, Oct. 17-19, 2024 (pp. 1-7). IEEE. 10.1109/ICBDS61829.2024.10837349
Osei-Kyei, R., Tam, V., Ma, M., & Mashiri, F. (2021, June 15). Critical review of the threats affecting the building of critical infrastructure resilience. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 60, 1-11. ScienceDirect. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102316
Parida, B. (2023, December 15). ICS SCADA: A Comprehensive Guide to Industrial Control Systems and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. Wevolver. https://www.wevolver.com/article/ics-scada