SCADA or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition is the backbone of several critical industrial infrastructures and serves to monitor and control these important systems. Vulnerabilities that threaten these systems and their components must be mitigated and addressed in a timely manner in order to keep critical systems operational. Maintaining a robust and secure posture for these systems is imperative not only for the safety of the software it controls but also the safety of human lives.
SCADA Systems- An Overview
Industrial control systems consist of integrated hardware and software networks that monitor and automate industrial infrastructures such as power, water, and manufacturing facilities. Important infrastructures to our daily lives that carry huge security risks if targeted, often deadly in many cases. SCADA systems are put in place to monitor these systems in order to mitigate risks. There are many components included in a SCADA system such as Remote Terminal Units and Programmable Logic Controllers. These components are designed to send data back to the Human Machine Interface where employees can monitor in real time any issues that arise in their systems. “HMI package of the SCADA systems consists of a drawing program used by the system maintenance personnel or operators to change the representation of these points in the interface” (SCADA systems, para 8). Additionally, a supervisory station consists of PCs and servers that are responsible for communication with the field equipment. All of these components work together to monitor and alert employees of any threats or changes to their critical infrastructure however these systems are not immune to cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities.
Vulnerabilities
As SCADA system technology advances, more are being placed onto networks via WAN and Internet Protocols. According to the reading, “since the standard protocols used and the networked SCADA systems can be accessed through the internet, the vulnerability of the system is increased” (SCADA systems, para 21). Many of these systems were designed decades ago and these legacy systems have been integrated with newer technology without addressing the vulnerabilities these legacy systems possess. Simple human error, misconfigurations of the network, or the possibility of insider threats are other dangers to consider to the security of these critical infrastructures. Advance persistent threat attacks from nation state hackers are also becoming more of an increasing issue, leading to shutdowns of infrastructure and risking human lives.
Mitigations
Mitigations are paramount to ensuring these systems remain secure. Network segmentation is critical when handling legacy systems as it prevents easy access to them across the Internet. Enabling VPNs and MFA can greatly improve security in addition to implementing role-based access privileges to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access. Another security measure to greatly improve security is ensuring a critical infrastructure has backups available in case of a system failure. Reducing downtime on a targeted system allows for minimum chances of increased risk that may affect individual lives.
Conclusion
SCADA systems are crucial for industrial control systems to ensure operations are running as smoothly as possible and keeping everyone safe. These systems allow for real time monitoring coupled with various components to ensure a robust security system, however, vulnerabilities present in the system can lead to disastrous consequences. Preventing exposure and risk from threat actors by constantly evaluating system maintenance and regularly updating these systems is critical to ensuring a tight-knit security posture.
Works Citied
Cybersecurity of Critical Infrastructure with ICS/SCADA Systems. (n.d.) IEEE Public Safety Technology. Cybersecurity of Critical Infrastructure with ICS/SCADA Systems – IEEE Public Safety Technology.
SCADA Systems. (n.d) scadasystems.net. SCADA Systems – Google Docs.