In this paper I will talk about what SCADA means and is, the Vulnerabilities associated with Critical Infrastructure, and how SCADA can reduce those risks

What is SCADA

SCADA, which means “Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition” refers to systems that control infrastructure, facility, and industrial processes (SCADA systems). It allows organizations to monitor data in real time. It also allows them to interact with devices via Human Machine Interface’s (HMI). HMI’s display their information in a graphical format, showing the user a representation of the facility the user is controlling.

Vulnerabilities in Critical Infrastructure Systems

Critical Infrastructure is the infrastructure that keeps the country running, such as Power Plants, Water Supply, and Emergency Service systems. If these any of these infrastructures that are deemed “critical” were taken down it would have a dramatic effect on the country, essentially shutting our country down (Wright, 2023). The US Government states that there are sixteen different types of Critical Infrastructure, which includes Chemical, Commercial Facilities, Communications, Critical Manufacturing, Dams, The Defense Industrial Base, Emergency Services, Energy, Financial Services, Food and Agriculture, Government Facilities, Healthcare and Public Health, Information Technology, Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste, Transportation, and Water and Wastewater (Critical Infrastructure Sectors: CISA). The United States’ critical infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable these days. As we continue to rely more and more on internet connected systems to run our Critical Infrastructure, we run the risk of a cyber-attack taking down sections, or even potentially the entirety, of our critical infrastructure (Labus, 2022).

Roles SCADA plays in reducing risks

SCADA itself is rather vulnerable to outside attacks, such as the Stuxnet worm, which is the most famous attack on a SCADA system. There are several ways to mitigate these vulnerabilities, which help protect the systems that SCADA is in charge of. These range from simply keeping your systems up to date with the latest patches and updates, using endpoint protection to protect against outside threats, managing authorization for user accounts for those that have access to the system and maintain policies on what is and isn’t allowed to connect to the SCADA network (One flaw too many: Vulnerabilities in SCADA systems).

Conclusion

In conclusion I talked about what SCADA means, Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition, and it is: a system that control infrastructure, facility, and industrial processes. I further talked about the vulnerabilities associated with Critical Infrastructure, and how SCADA can reduce those risks.

References

• Critical Infrastructure Sectors: CISA. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA. (n.d.). https://www.cisa.gov/topics/critical-infrastructure-security-and-resilience/critical-infrastructure-sectors
• Labus, H. (2022, March 11). The massive impact of vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. Help Net Security. https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/03/15/critical-infrastructure-security/
• One flaw too many: Vulnerabilities in SCADA systems. Security News. (n.d.). https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/vulnerabilities-and-exploits/one-flaw-too-many-vulnerabilities-in-scada-systems
• SCADA systems. SCADA Systems. (n.d.). https://www.scadasystems.net/
• Wright, G. (2023, August 29). What is critical infrastructure?: Definition from TechTarget. WhatIs.com. https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/critical-infrastructure