BLUF
The Dominion Energy/Power Plant is computer operated. When SCADA was first launched in the 1970s, the internet wasn’t really a thing. Around these old machines, we constructed a significant amount of vital infrastructure. We made them internet-accessible to modernize the situation. It was never intended for them to be “online.” Anywhere in the world, anyone can access a SCADA computer. The hack of the eastern gas pipeline a few years ago serves as a practical illustration. They disconnected our gas. There was an absence. The same can be done for power, water purification, etc. if you are aware how. You could access the water treatment system and poison the entire region. Cut off their electricity or blow up the entire nuclear power plant, you decide.
Heading 1
SCADA, or supervisory control and data acquisition, is an acronym. It makes mention of the ICS (industrial control system), which is used to approve industrial, facility-based, and infrastructure procedures. The supervisory systems, which are used to gather all necessary information/data about the process, the PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers), used as the field devices, and the communication infrastructure, which links the Remote Terminal Units (RTU) to supervisory system are some of the subsystems that are presented in the SCADA system. The system that synchronizes the operations in real time is referred to as a SCADA system. A sophisticated system that is dispersed over a broad region, SCADA is a centralized system that manages and watches over the entire site. All of the control activities are carried out automatically using RTU and PLC.
Heading 2- Vulnerabilities
SCADA Systems are used to monitor and manage a variety of physical activities, including the operation of traffic lights and the distribution of water. Security is crucial for such activities since there would be many negative effects if these processes failed. According to Robles et al. (2018), SCADA networks were isolated from all other networks in order to prevent attackers from connecting to or accessing the system, but as the industry grew, more connectivity was required, forcing SCADA systems with limited range networks to connect to other networks in order to broaden their scope. This increases the adoption of open standards for the system’s communication protocols and makes the system more attackable. Some people may believe that due to SCADA networks.
Heading 3- Decrease risk
To address the issue within the TCP/IP-based SCADA network, SCADA providers have developed dedicated industrial VPNs and firewalls. The white-listing approach is also used to guard against illegal system modifications. Keeping SCADA networks as separate as feasible from other networks may lessen the risk of system assaults. Any link to a different network could pose a security concern and open a route to or from the internet. Creating SCADA “Red Teams” to identify and assess potential attack scenarios, assessing and bolstering the security of any remaining links to the SCADA network, and carrying out technical assessments are all recommended by The President’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board (2001).
Conclusion
Human elements are involved in risk mitigation. These systems’ data can be obtained by human factors, who can then make the modification. Fixes and automation are made easier by human factor data, allowing the infrastructure to continue operating even if there is a degradation. SCADA systems must be designed to recover quickly from disasters prior to installation in order to reduce cybercrime. Modifications to the systems and interfaces will likely surface as new threats emerge in order to keep mitigating any cyber-threats in the future.
References
Where is SCADA used? examples of SCADA system applications Where is SCADA used? What industries use SCADA? (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2021, from https://www.dpstele.com/scada/where-is-used.php
What is SCADA? Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (inductiveautomation.com)
SCADA Systems – SCADA Systems
What is a SCADA System and How Does It Work? (onlogic.com)
The President’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board. (2001, October). 21 Steps to
Improve Cyber Security of SCADA Networks. https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/oeprod/DocumentsandMedia/21_Steps_-_SCADA.pdf