In a world that is rapidly evolving and advancing in terms of technology and cyber use, the need for security in SCADA systems is extremely critical. There are cyberthreats on a global scale that occur every second of the day and it is getting worse in the reality that cybercriminals/cyberterrorists are getting smarter and more advanced in their hijacking capabilities. SCADA means Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition and refer to industrial control systems (ICS), which are used to control infrastructure processes such as oil refineries and sewage treatment; it also controls facility-based processes such as airports and ships, as well as industrial production, manufacturing, and refining processes. The biggest awakening for critical infrastructure vulnerabilities was when America was tragically hit with the event of 9/11. Which caused the realization that threats to infrastructure were not only physical but very much cyber involved as well. Of course, through time and effort and the passing of two decades, we have better technological systems in attempt to monitor, detect, and defend against a wide range of threats to critical infrastructure. But cybercriminals are unfortunately getting much smarter and sophisticated with their approaches to attack.

The Department of Homeland Security has defined critical infrastructures to be “the assets that provide the essential services that underpin American society and serve as the backbone of our nation’s economy, security and health.” To further explain, critical infrastructure is extremely important to assist in the power that we use in our homes, water that we drink, the transportation that society uses, the stores that are filled with consumer items, and even the communication systems that society uses to keep in touch with each other. Society is aided by critical infrastructure in every way possible which is why security is crucial for the safety of humanity, especially in terms of cybersecurity.

SCADA systems are used for monitoring and controlling physical processes such as water distribution, gas transportation, and electricity transmissions to name a few. Better security for these systems is extremely crucial in the prevention of cyberattacks that would have very unfortunate results and consequences for the infrastructure and society all together. There are two major threats to SCADA Systems. Unauthorized access to software, which can include changes, virus infections, or other problems that could affect the control host machine. The other major threat would be packet access to network segments that host SCADA devices. In multiple cases, there is little to no security in regard to packet control protocol which gives the potential for any person sending packets to a SCADA device to be able to control it. VPN is a commonly used resource of protection for SCADA systems, but SCADA vendors are developing specialized industrial VPN and firewall solutions which will aid in the prevention of physical attacks.