Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society
CYSE 200T
Professor Diwakar Yalpi
11/05/23
SCADA SYSTEMS Write-Up
BLUF
Critical infrastructure systems, such as those responsible for energy, water supply,
transportation, and more, are increasingly reliant on digital technologies to improve efficiency
and control. However, these systems are also exposed to various vulnerabilities, including cyber
threats, natural disasters, and technical failures. SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data
Acquisition) applications have a pertinent role in mitigating said risk.
Vulnerabilities
be sponsored by their government or independent hackers, may attempt to disrupt,
compromise, or gain unauthorized access to these systems. Common threats include malware,
ransomware, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and phishing. “Today marks two
years since a watershed moment in the short but turbulent history of cybersecurity. On May 7,
2021, a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline captured headlines around the world with
pictures of snaking lines of cars at gas stations across the eastern seaboard and panicked
Americans filling bags with fuel, fearful of not being able to get to work or get their kids to school
(Easterly and Fanning).” This shows how vulnerable our infrastructure truly is and how much of
an impact an attack can have on our country. It is incredibly concerning that many of our critical
infrastructure systems run on outdated equipment that often has a variety of vulnerabilities. A
lack of updates come from a lack of motivation for companies to do so, as nothing bad has
happened to them yet, and concerns about disruption of operations.
Role of Scada Systems in mitigation
SCADA applications provide operators with real-time data on the status of critical
infrastructure components. This allows for rapid detection of anomalies or security breaches,
enabling quick response and mitigation. SCADA systems can be accessed and controlled
remotely, reducing the need for physical presence at the infrastructure sites. This feature is
exceptionally helpful during emergencies since no one has to be present. Modern SCADA
applications incorporate security features to protect against cyber threats. They include
authentication, access control, audit logs, and encryption to monitor and safeguard systems
from unauthorized access. SCADA systems often include redundancy and failover mechanisms
to ensure system availability. If one component fails, the system can automatically switch to a
backup, minimizing downtime.
If SCADA Systems are adopted they can play a huge role in mitigating these risks. They add
security features, remote access, and up-to-date monitoring.
References
Easterly, Jen, and Tom Fanning. “The Attack on Colonial Pipeline: What We’ve Learned
& What We’ve Done over the Past Two Years | CISA.” Www.cisa.gov, 7 May 2023,
www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/attack-colonial-pipeline-what-weve-learned-what-
weve-done-over-past-two-years.
CIA Triad
Michael Lively-Scholz
CYSE 200T
Professor Diwakar Yalpi
09/17/23
BLUF
The CIA triad is a set of guidelines designed to aid organizations in their process of setting Cyber Security Policy. The model is summarized and based upon 3 terms; confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Authentication and authorization are both used to ensure data security. However, they are used in different aspects and have overall different meanings.
CIA Triad
The CIA Triad is made up of 3 key principles. Those are Confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Confidentiality refers to the efforts taken to prevent sensitive, private information from being accessed by unauthorized users. Integrity means that an organization should stay in accordance with their policies and continue to protect data over time. Availability means that while keeping up with integrity and confidentiality an organization should properly maintain their infrastructure as to keep information accessible by authorized parties. For a bank this means keeping up with security and performing
maintenance or updates in a timely, inconspicuous manner as to not prevent users from accessing their mobile apps.
Authentication and Authorization
Although authentication and authorization are both used to protect data they have unique differences.
Authentication is the process of proving that you’re who you say you are; Authorization is the act of granting an authenticated party permission to do something (rwike77, n.d.).”Authentication verifies the person, while authorization validates a person. Authentication happens before authorization. When a user logs into a server that is authentication and when the system checks if the user has admin that is authorization.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the CIA triad is based upon 3 concepts. Those are confidentiality, integrity, and availability. These mean that an organization must provide data privacy, continue to protect privacy over time, and allow users to access their data, respectively. Authorization and Authentication are both forms of security while the first verifies a user is who they say they are while authentication verifies their permissions.
References
rwike77. (n.d.). Authentication vs. authorization – Microsoft Entra. Learn.microsoft.com.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/develop/authentication-vs-authorization
What is the CIA Triad_ Definition, Explanation, Examples – TechTarget.pdf. (n.d.). Google
Docs.https://drive.google.com/file/d/1898r4pGpKHN6bmKcwlxPdVZpCC6Moy8l/view
NIST Frameworks
The NIST Cybersecurity framework is an outstanding set of guidelines that many professionals use as a baseline to ensure their networks are secure. Although these guidelines are voluntary and not law, they are very important to follow as they ensure you are following correct procedures. Using the framework, an organization can identify where their current cybersecurity procedures and practices stand, identify their goals, and create and effectively execute a plan to put better cybersecurity procedures in place. This allows an organization to effectively upgrade their infrastructure and practices to allow for a safer and more secure system network, while doing so with the best possible utilization of resources. In laments term the framework gives organizations a blueprint to an improved cybersecurity posture. Organizations that utilize the framework will see a reduction in cyber security risks and be able to better manage them. In my future workplace I will use the framework to assess where the current posture stands, create a goal to improve, then use the NIST Framework to find opportunities to improve and execute a plan that meets the goal in the most efficient manner.