SCADA SYSTEMS

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, or SCADA for short, refers to Industrial Control systems (ICS) that control infrastructure, facility-based, and industrial processes (Google Doc, SCADA Systems, 2020). Critical infrastructure is our country’s vital system; Scada comes into place because it monitors and controls processes within these infrastructures. While these processes and systems are critical to our country’s survival, they face many vulnerabilities and threats.

What is SCADA and its Uses

As stated in the Google document SCADA Systems, SCADA refers to the processes and systems that monitor and control our country’s critical infrastructure. SCADA usually controls water treatment, gas pipelines, wind farms, airports, space stations, production, manufacturing, power generation, etc. (Google Doc, SCADA Systems, 2020). A SCADA system usually consists of a few key components such as sensors, Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), a supervisory system, a communication network, and a Human-Machine Interface (HMI). All of these elements play important roles in the success of the many SCADA systems within the nation that help keep our critical infrastructure secure. Remote terminal Units (RTUs) are field devices such as sensors, actuators, and valves that collect telemetry data and transform it into useful information for human consumption (Awati & Loshin, 2025). Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) are digital computers that control industrial processes based on specific inputs, standards, and instructions for a specific process or application (Awati & Loshin, 2025). A Supervisory system controls all SCADA processes and gathers data from field devices. They also send commands to those devices in order to control industrial processes. The Communication Network enables SCADA supervisory systems to communicate with field devices and field controllers. Lastly, the human-machine interface (HMI) is an apparatus that gives processed data to the human operator (Google Doc, SCADA Systems, 2020). All of these components being used in tandem allows for an immediate response if a threat is present. However, over the years, it has become clear that if one component fails, the whole system is at risk, which can lead to devastating consequences.

SCADA System Vulnerabilities and Mitigating the Risks

It is common knowledge that critical infrastructures are vulnerable to threats such as natural disasters, equipment failure, and cyberattacks, which have become one of the most prominent forms of attack in recent years. Some of the cyberattacks that have plagued critical infrastructure over the years are malware and virus attacks and unauthorized access. According to the Google document, SCADA systems vendors are beginning to address the security issues by developing specialized industrial VPN and firewall solutions based on TCP/IP. Another form of mitigation is by whitelisting solutions due to their ability to prevent unauthorized application changes. Also, while researching, I found an article by claroty.com that suggests that a way for organizations to prevent threats to their SCADA systems and critical infrastructure is to implement strong risk management strategies similar to the NIST framework that will improve over time as more knowledge is gained and will help prevent future risks.

Conclusion

Over the years, the SCADA system has evolved and will continue to progress as more risks become known and new technologies are introduced. I believe that with the use of the SCADA system and the NIST Framework, organizations will be able to divert most risks they face, and if not, they will at least have a process in place that will assist them in mitigating the damage. Since the SCADA system and the NIST framework are extremely adaptable, an organization can model the systems and process as they see fit to provide proper physical and virtual security.

T. C. T. (2024, February 21). SCADA Risk Management: Protecting Critical Infrastructure. Claroty.com. Retrieved March 23, 2025, from https://claroty.com/blog/scada-risk-management-protecting-critical-infrastructure

(n.d.). SCADA Systems. Google Document. Retrieved March 23, 2025, from http://www.scadasystems.net

Awati, R., & Loshin, P. (n.d.). What is SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition)? Www.Techtarget.com. Retrieved March 23, 2025, from https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/SCADA-supervisory-control-and-data-acquisition