Many of today's industrial processes depend upon computer
systems to make them work more efficiently and effectively.
The many advances in technology that have sped up manufacturing,
power plant monitoring, wastewater treatment,
and other industrial processes require the use of
these computers.
Industrial control systems, or ICS systems are the devices and
systems that control industrial production and operation.
They include systems that monitor electrical,
gas, water, and other energy infrastructure and production
operations, as well as the systems that
control manufacturing plants, industrial facilities,
logistics operations, and other critical infrastructure
elements.
You'll find ICS systems in a wide variety of modern applications,
including use-as-building and facility automation systems,
workflow automation systems, and process automation systems.
Hackers love to target industrial control systems for a
number of reasons.
First, a successful attack on an ICS system can have dramatic
implications.
Successful ICS attacks could disable a nation's power grid or
damage or destroy parts of a city's infrastructure.
Second, industrial control systems are often not as well secured as
traditional computing infrastructure.
And third, their high requirements for stability and continuous
operations mean that they are less likely to be consistently
patched and updated.
In fact, some ICS system manufacturers advised their
customers to not update control systems and sensor devices.
This makes protecting SCADA and DCS systems an even
greater challenge,
requiring additional planning to overcome.
Let's discuss three different types of industrial control
systems: Supervisory control and data acquisition or SCADA systems,
Distributed control systems, abbreviated DCSs, and programmable
logic controllers, known more simply as PLCs.
SCADA systems like the one shown here,
are very common in industries that require remote monitoring of their
infrastructure and production systems.
These include natural gas pipelines,
power production and distribution infrastructure,
and water supply control systems.
SCADA systems typically include individual remote sensors known
as remote telemetry units.
These sensors provide reports back to the central data collection
system and provide some level of local control.
The central system then uses the information provided by the remote
units to control the entire grid or pipeline of production
and control systems.
Attacks against SCADA systems can target the feedback provided to
the central control system, or they can cause the local sensor
and control unit to perform an incorrect action.
Distributed control systems, such as the one shown here,
are frequently used to control water and wastewater treatment
and distribution systems, power plants, refineries,
and production lines such as the ones that make cars,
electronics, and even food products
throughout the world. DCS systems use a combination of
sensors and feedback systems to control and adjust processes
as they receive feedback.
Much like SCADA systems, an attack against a DCS system
could be as simple as providing incorrect feedback,
resulting in a shutdown, over-production, or delay in the system
at a critical time.
Programmable logic controllers, like the one shown here,
are special purpose computers designed to handle specialized
input and output systems.
PLCs are typically designed to handle difficult environments
with special temperature, vibration, or other requirements
while still functioning.
PLCs are designed to handle and respond to specialized input and
output reliably to ensure that the processes they support occur
without interruption or delay.
PLCs connect to a human-machine interface to provide
interfaces that can interact with their human operators.
Typically, PLCs don't have a monitor or other interface
themselves beyond buttons or lights that are built into them.
PLCs are commonly used in both SCADA and DCS systems.
PLCs often use a specialized communication protocol
known as Modbus.
The Modbus protocol allows simple communications over the serial
interfaces popular in industrial applications.
The results of a SCADA system attack can be devastating.
In this report, a hacker, irritated because he didn't
receive a job from an Australian city,
used his knowledge about their water treatment software and
systems to release millions of liters of raw sewage
into local parks,
rivers, and even the grounds of a local hotel.
The Australian EPA said that marine life died,
the creek water turned black, and the stench was unbearable
for residents.
The attacker in this case used inside knowledge because he had
previously worked for the company that installed the system.
When the police arrested him, they discovered that he had made
46 attempts to hack into the system,
and that his car contained the radio and computer equipment
necessary to wage this attack.