Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) is an automation control system used to manage processes within an industrial plant or other type of facility. It is commonly used in industries such as gas, water, energy, power, and much more. SCADA can either be the complex system within a site, or the collection of multiple systems across the area. Although some of the system’s processes are automated, it is not perfect without human intervention. SCADA includes an HMI, or human interface, which gives workers processed data that is then sent to the supervisory system. Operators interpret that information allowing them to monitor and control the system by sending actions or commands to the processes. Data sent to the supervisory system is also stored in a database. SCADA include remote terminal units (RTUs) that translate electrical signals into binary values of 0 and 1, which translate to off and on, respectively. How are all of these signals and information delivered throughout the system? It is done by SCADA’s communication infrastructure by using WAN protocols.
Since SCADA systems use their own network to communicate across the system, this brings rise to vulnerabilities within the system. If someone were able to gain access to its network, they may be able to take control of certain processes. Since human machine interfaces are able to manage a multitude of processes, it is a prime contender for malicious people. Those that receive unauthorized access to it have the potential to control the system’s processes and even steal information. This can be done through manual interference, or through the introduction of a virus within the system.
Many security measures should be implemented to help mitigate these kinds of risks. Virtual private networks have been used to help increase the security of SCADA networks, but that may not be enough. Proper firewall should be configured to prevent unwanted traffic from infiltrating the network. Certain hardware needs to be limited to who can access them, physically and virtually.