Critical infrastructure systems are facilities and assets that are critical to the functionality of
society. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems control, monitor, and analyze
industrial, facility-based, and industrial systems.
Vulnerabilities of SCADA Systems
Although SCADA systems improve the efficiency of critical infrastructure systems, it also
introduces vulnerabilities that attackers exploit. Like all other systems, they are vulnerable to
cyber-attacks, which can allow the attacker to take control of the system. Another vulnerability is the lack of monitoring.
Suspicious activity or reacting in time of a cyber-attack are often missed due to SCADA systems lacking an active network system along with using outdated equipment and/or software. Lastly, SCADA systems are connected through the internet, leaving it more vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
Below are some examples of the vulnerabilities online systems may face.
Imagine you have wireless cameras throughout your home, like most people do nowadays.
Having wireless cameras can lead you vulnerable to someone hacking into your system,
watching you and your family. Some hackers do this to know when you will be out of the house
and then using that knowledge to then break into your home to steal your belongings.
Another example of this is how cybercriminals hack into airport systems to shut down their
systems, which then leads to multiple issues with pilots and everyone else within the airport.
Cybercriminals may hack airports to gain individuals passport/ID info to either steal their
information or to sell it along with spear-phishing campaigns.
Mitigating Risks with SCADA applications
SCADA system applications are used to warn the operators of questionable issues by sounding
the alarms along with alerting the operators if a large number of errors accrue, allowing operators
to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, our society relies heavily on critical infrastructure systems to provide essential
services. Using SCADA systems with the right policies and procedures in place help ensure the
security of critical infrastructure systems. Therefore, it is vital to protect this system to ensure
things run smoothly.
References
SCADA Systems – SCADA Systems. (2018, July 25). SCADA
Systems. http://www.scadasystems.net/
SCADA systems and their vulnerabilities (1997-2024) SecPoint
https://www.secpoint.com/scada-systems-their-
vulnerabilities.html#:~:text=Common%20SCADA%20System%20Vulnerabilities,a%20cyber%20att
ack%20does%20happen.