SCADA Systems

Corey Parker

11/7/20

Critical Infrastructure Vulnerabilities

Supervisory control and data acquisition systems or, SCADA systems, are used to monitor and control critical infrastructure processes. These critical infrastructures range from monitoring water treatment, pipeline control, airplanes, space stations, and more (SCADA, 2020). Any sort of compromise within these critical infrastructures could cost million of dollars and even lives. The large scope of damage that could be done within critical infrastructures leaves us vulnerable to natural, accidental, and human-caused threats (Tal, 2018).

  • Natural Threats –Critical infrastructure systems are vulnerable to natural threats such as flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.
  • Accidental Threats – Critical infrastructure systems are vulnerable to accidental threats such as on-site accidents, water pipe ruptures, power-grid failure, system failure, etc.
  • Human-caused Threats – Critical infrastructure systems are vulnerable to human-caused threats such as rioting, terrorism, finance related crime, and cyber-attacks.

Cyber-attacks:

Due to modern internet interconnectivity, critical infrastructure systems often use wide area networks, or WANS, to monitor essential information systems. This leaves critical systems vulnerable to cyber threats such as –

  • Denial of Service or DDOS attacks: A cyber attack where the attacker overflows the host with information in order to compromise system availability.
  • Bot-net operations: Malware infected machines consecutively attack the host via different means (phishing and spam attacks) (Tal, 2018). 
  • Criminal groups deploying spyware/malware in attempt of identity or information theft.

With these ongoing risks and vulnerabilities, it is essential to provide proper security for essential information systems. Over time as the usage of SCADA systems has grown in order to monitor these critical infrastructures. Although SCADA systems have improved overtime, this does not mean that they are not vulnerable. The two main threats to SCADA systems are unauthorized access to software and packet access to network segments (SCADA, 2020).

  • Unauthorized software access – Human access or virus access to the software can make detrimental changes to SCADA systems and cause damage.
  • Packet access to software – There is often no security on packet control within SCADA system. Therefore, those who can send information to SCADA systems are in control of the system.

–  Physical access to SCADA systems also allows for a security bypass (SCADA, 2020).

Although SCADA systems are not perfect. SCADA manufacturers are constantly working towards making systems more secure in order to protect our critical infrastructures.

Works Cited:

  • What is SCADA Security. (2020, March 25). Retrieved November 07, 2020, from https://www.forcepoint.com/cyber-edu/scada-security

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