This article explains vulnerabilities found in critical infrastructure systems. The role that SCADA – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition applications play in vulnerability mitigation is also discussed.

Critical Infrastructure Vulnerabilities

Vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure include resource disparity, outsourcing complexity, natural disasters, human actions, and accidental or technical failures (Tal, 2018). Resource disparity is defined as when the budget constraints of smaller organizations restrict the amount of security they can provide critical infrastructure, causing it to be vulnerable to attacks. Outsourcing complexity occurs when organizations outsource their critical infrastructure defense services, which makes it more challenging to optimize strategies. Natural disasters impact the physical components of critical infrastructure due to flooding, fire, or other extreme weather. Human actions include “terrorism, rioting, product tampering, explosions and bombing, theft, financial crimes, [and] economic espionage” (Tal, 2018). These actions are challenging to defend from, and must include a mixture of physical security, personnel training, and cybersecurity applications. Finally, accidental and technical failures include any failures of critical infrastructure systems.

Vulnerability Mitigation with SCADA Applications

SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. These applications are “industrial control systems used to control infrastructure processes, …facility-based processes, …or industrial processes” (SCADA Systems, n.d.). In a SCADA system, there is typically an apparatus, supervisory system, remote terminal units (RTUs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and communication infrastructure between RTUs and PLCs.

SCADA applications allow employees to monitor entire worksites, even if these sites are spread across multiple locations. In addition, RTUs and PLCs can respond to variations in monitored systems, oftentimes automatically (SCADA Systems, n.d.). This allows for vulnerability mitigation, especially for accidental and technical failures, as it allows for immediate responses to problems detected in critical infrastructure due to continuous monitoring. SCADA systems are also used in alarm systems to alert employees to problems with whatever system is being monitored, which can be applied to monitor for a wide array of critical infrastructure vulnerabilities including natural disasters, human actions, and resource disparity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, critical infrastructure vulnerabilities include resource disparity, outsourcing complexity, natural disasters, human actions, and accidental or technical failures. The impacts of these vulnerabilities can be mitigated with the use of SCADA applications, which allow employees to monitor worksites remotely and can be configured to alert employees to variations in the systems they monitor. This allows for immediate response to changes in critical infrastructure conditions, mitigating the consequences of vulnerabilities being exploited.

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