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Cyber Security in SCADA Networks

The security of SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and real-time systems represents a significant challenge in today’s world. High profile cyber security threats are a recent phenomenon – think of the Stuxnet or Night Dragon attacks – yet the systems running critical industrial processes are typically a generation older. Consequently, there are many legacy systems that may be vulnerable to cyber-attacks because cyber security was simply not a consideration at the time of initial design and installation. The security of even recently deployed systems may also be an issue, and often there are media reports of instances where systems are connected to the internet with inadequate protection, or the manufacturers of the equipment have used hardcoded usernames and passwords, thereby gifting cyber intruders with inside knowledge with the ability to manipulate the system settings. It is against this backdrop that we can consider the critical differences between real-time/SCADA systems versus the protection and risks associated the enterprise systems. An organization may be more concerned about intellectual property theft, persons gaining access to financial or strategic information, or just plain denial of service on IT systems. Although serious for a business, these risks are unlike those for industrial control systems (ICS) / SCADA where the impact may be to lose visibility of the system sensor readings, and consequently loss of control of the plant. So where threats against business systems may impact the financial viability of the company, the potential consequences of attacks on ICS/SCADA represent a threat to safety and human life in an extreme case. This is not to say Industrial IT Systems are not vulnerable to loss of critical Historical Records, loss of Data Integrity, loss of time-dependent or synchronized performance, progressive degradation and randomized effects. This presentation will discuss the challenges posed by Cyber Security risks on SCDA/ICS systems critical to the operations and the possible countermeasures to be considered.