Scada Systems
SCADA systems play an important role in the protection and management of critical infrastructure. Without SCADA systems, critical infrastructure would be extremely exposed to tons of cyber-attacks from hackers. This paper will explain what SCADA systems do, vulnerabilities of critical infrastructures without SCADA systems included, and what SCADA systems do to mitigate those vulnerabilities.
Concept of SCADA systems
According to scadasystems.net, SCADA systems are “Complex systems spread out over large areas”. These systems monitor and protect critical infrastructures such as water treatment systems and gas pipelines. They do this by constantly surveying and processing data. If anything seems to be out of line, it will alert the human operator of the SCADA system to the problem. For the SCADA system to work, they use computers such as Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). The RTUs work with the sensors to monitor the data going around in the SCADA system, while the PLCs handles the physical part of the SCADA systems, as they interact with physical devices such as sensors to control the flow of things within the SCADA system. SCADA systems also have a machine that allows a human to intervene if the system is alerted of an issue. With these capabilities, it makes it difficult for cyber-attackers to get into critical infrastructure.
Vulnerabilities of Critical Infrastructure and Mitigation with SCADA systems
Without the use of SCADA systems, critical infrastructure would have an extreme disadvantage to critical infrastructure that have SCADA systems. An example of this would be the use of manual work. Since the infrastructure would not have the automatic process of monitoring data with SCADA systems, the infrastructure might have to rely on manual work by humans. With manual work, the chances of human error in identifying any type of alerts would increase. It could also increase the chances of cyber attacks flying under the radar, as human workers might overlook something important. If the infrastructure included SCADA systems, the chances of cyber-attacks flying under the radar would reduce dramatically as the automatic process would not have to worry about human error. Another vulnerability critical infrastructure without SCADA systems have is cybersecurity. In Professor Kirkpatrick’s presentation “Engineering, Critical Infrastructure and Cybersecurity”, it shows there could be tons of vulnerabilities when infrastructure does not have SCADA, such as outdated security. If a critical infrastructure does not use manual work, but instead uses an outdated security system, it would be at risk of tons of cyber-attacks, as lots of hackers would have the tools to be able to crack those security systems with ease. If an infrastructure had a SCADA system, it would be more difficult for hackers to break through them, as they would have to find a new way to break into the system. The third vulnerability an infrastructure without SCADA systems would have is efficiency. As stated In Professor Kirkpatrick’s presentation on critical infrastructure and SCADA, without SCADA systems, lots of infrastructure might have to rely on outdated systems that have all their data traffic running through a single port. This could cause slower communication time for the computers, as well as slow down the detect and response time for any threats within the system. With a SCADA system in place, there would be multiple computers throughout the system monitoring the data for any type of threats. There would also be multiple ports so that the transfer of data and detect and response times would be as quick as possible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, SCADA systems are large security systems that keep our critical infrastructures secure. They are extremely important because without them, we would have to deal with issues such as human error, weak cybersecurity with our systems, and efficiency. They keep our infrastructure safe, protected, and efficient.
Sources
“SCADA Systems – SCADA Systems.” Www.scadasystems.net, www.scadasystems.net/.
and, Infrastructure. “200T Mod 05 – Engineering, Critical Infrastructure and Cybersecurity.” Google Docs, 2019, docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AVZiFO14xPa3CPRLBniW4zdZggN7cCit49WYsu3aEvw/edit#slide=id.g50ead5c042_0_0. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.