SCADA Systems
SCADA is Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and is responsible for monitoring, controlling, and analyzing data in real-time. It deals with all types of infrastructure systems, such as: water treatment, waste management, pipelines, wind farms, and much more. SCADA monitors communicate through the use of HMIs, or Human Machine Interfaces. This allows for data to be received and for alarms to be triggered when certain predetermined events happen. These events can be anything from low water pressure, high voltage, or low to no power. These events will trigger an alarm on the HMI. SCADA systems receive data from remote terminal units (RTIs) or through programmable logic controllers (PLCs) from the various systems it is monitoring.

Vulnerabilities
SCADA systems are not immune to threats. There exist many vulnerabilities that hackers try to exploit. SCADA systems have evolved over the years and have been integrated into online networks. This opens the door for new and ever changing threats against our various infrastructures. Many SCADA systems are delivered through a dial-in telephone port and only required the use of an ID and password after calling the designated phone number (Shaw, 2004). This allows attackers the opportunity to attempt to hack into the system by guessing the password using brute-force methods or war-dialers. Techopedia defines wardialing as “the use of various kinds of technology to automatically dial many phone numbers, usually in order to find weak spots in an IT security architecture.” (Rouse, 2012).
Another vulnerability that threatens SCADA systems is internal threats. Although it may not happen as frequently, it is still something to be wary of. Former and current employees can present a threat to these systems for any number of reasons. This is why having physical security is something that should not be overlooked. Physical security guards can monitor who has access to the property and to certain systems. This will help deter some attacks of unauthorized access, which could then result in viruses, worms, or trojan horses. This type of “inside job” can also be prevented by staying up to date on administration duties by quickly restricting former employees from the system as well as requiring current employees to change passwords regularly.

Impacts of SCADA systems attacks
When SCADA systems are threatened or attacked, it allows for critical infrastructure systems to become inoperable and at times can result in people being hurt or even killed. If a SCADA system that regulates traffic controls fails, that could result in many car accidents and cause many people to become seriously injured. Hacked SCADA systems can also prevent the alarms for floods, fire, or earthquakes to alert people of the imminent danger of those events. Terrorists may also attack critical infrastructure for telecommunications. Businesses, governments, and individuals rely on telecommunications for a variety of reasons, and if they were to be compromised then we would be unable to monitor and control systems that rely on remote access.

Conclusion
SCADA systems are vulnerable to many different types of attacks. The more we improve and advance the way that SCADA is used and how is can be accessed, the more it opens up opportunities for threats of all kinds. We must be diligent in regularly monitoring and updating our SCADA systems in order to prevent an attack on our critical infrastructures.

 
References
Rouse, M. (2012, July 24). Wardialing. Techopedia. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/15505/wardialing#:~:text=War%20dialing%20refers%20to%20the,to%20look%20for%20unprotected%20modems.
Shaw, W. T. (2004, September 1). SCADA System Vulnerabilities to Cyber Attack. Electric Energy Online. Retrieved March 26, 2023, from https://electricenergyonline.com/energy/magazine/181/article/SCADA-System-Vulnerabilities-to-Cyber-Attack.htm