Security and intrusion detection on critical SCADA systems for water management

Abstract

SCADA systems are broadly employed in supervising and controlling industrial areas comprising manufacturing industries, traffic control, power plants, integrated water management systems (distribution, treatment and sewage). The security of SCADA systems represents a significant subject on account of the critical function that these systems perform in offering vital utility services. In nowadays industrial systems ubiquitous access to Internet enhance the vulnerabilities of SCADA systems, for the reason that this allows a remote attacker to obtain control of, or produce interruption to the network critical functions. The attacks affect the network control plane and /or the data plane. Critical infrastructures, requiring uninterrupted operation, maintenance, and protection, have need of robust and secured control SCADA systems. The paper intends to depicts the critical architectural constituents of these systems, detect vulnerabilities and possible threats, and illustrate protection techniques that may be set up in order to reduce attacks involving situation awareness solutions.