'My SCADA System is Secure' and Other Security Myths

摘要

A supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system can be a utility manager's best friend. If a pipeline leaks or control equipment breaks down, the SCADA system often comes to the rescue, alerting others to the problem so it can be analyzed and acted on. Because SCADA systems are so important to plant operations, they are routinely protected by firewalls, routers, virtual private networks, and other security provisions, all diligently administered by system administrators. The question is, are they really secure? Before Sept. 11, 2001, little attention was paid to process control system security. No standards existed, and there was a lack of awareness industry wide about the means and methods of hacking into these Systems.