BLUF
SCADA systems and critical infrastructure typically contain inherent vulnerabilities that,
if ignored, can lead to cyber attacks. The constant growth of technology and the increasing rise
of cyberattacks emphasize the necessity of developing sufficient mitigation strategies. Examples
of common mitigation strategies or technologies include firewalls, intrusion prevention and
detection systems, passkeys, continuous security monitoring, segmentation strategy, and
multifactor authentication.
Introduction
SCADA systems are defined as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems
responsible for monitoring and controlling industrial control processes. For example, power
generation plants integrate SCADA technologies to record voltage levels, accumulated energy
levels, and events that occur throughout the power generation process. Ultimately, the function of
the SCADA system is to enable control and monitoring of various aspects of a critical process.
Vulnerabilities Within Critical Infrastructure
Systems
The primary issue with many critical infrastructure systems is that they commonly use
legacy software or hardware devices incompatible with modern patches to known vulnerabilities.
Additionally, SCADA systems integrated alongside these critical processes have their collection
of separate vulnerabilities, ultimately increasing the attack surface of the information technology
system. (Wali and Alshehery, 2024) surveyed and found four principal vulnerabilities in the
connectivity between SCADA systems and Cloud services: shared infrastructure risks, malicious
insiders, and SCADA protocol security weakness.
Mitigating Cyber Threats
According to (Brown, 2020), many SCADA users believe that simply having a VPN is
enough. In the article, Brown also talks about how SCADA vendors are developing Industrial
VPN and firewall solutions for networks based on TCP/IP. However, other ways to mitigate
cyberattacks include using NIDS and NIPS. NIDS is a network intrusion system that detects
cyberattacks. NIPS is network intrusion prevention and can block threats. Firewalls have been a
staple technology used to improve the security posture of SCADA systems throughout history
and remain an effective risk mitigation strategy today. Implementing encryption to prevent data
theft in case there is a cyber attack. Multifactor authorization is another way to mitigate
cyberattacks, such as mitigating phishing-style cyber attacks and adding another layer of
protection against insider threats. Security audits and routine updates are needed to stay up with
modern cyber security. Using a segmentation strategy to divide the network or system is a key
function in isolating sections to limit the spread of cyberattacks.
Conclusion
Critical infrastructure systems and the SCADA systems within them are targets because
they are at risk of being cyber attacked and can threaten national security. By using the
mitigation strategies discussed, critical infrastructure and SCADA systems can maintain
operational integrity and defend against cyber attacks.
Reference Page
Wali, A., & Alshehry, F. (2024, April 11). A survey of security challenges in cloud-based SCADA systems. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-431X/13/4/97
Brown, P. (2020, December 6). Using SCADA to Protect Critical Infrastructure and Systems. Cyberpaul. https://sites.wp.odu.edu/cyberpaul/2020/12/06/using-scada-to-protect-critical-infrastructure-and-systems/