Have you stopped to consider the things around you and how they operate? The things that get you from here to there and those things that help meet our daily needs. Consider the equipment used in the manufacturing industry like food and beverage production, and critical infrastructure such as power generation, and transportation. How will any form of cyber-attacks to industrial control systems (ICS) affect our lives? What are the potential effects and how can they be prevented from happening?
How Industrial Control Systems operate
In the world of industrial equipment and machinery, Industrial control systems (ICS) refer to physical and digital objects that regulate and manage the behavior of machines. They form the “brain” of machines and instruct what it should do. One of the most common types of ICS is Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems which provides a centralized control system that enables long-distance monitoring and control of field sites. Distributed Control Systems (DCS) which are used to control multiple local production systems are also very common.
Historically, industrial control systems were localized to individual machines. This means they had no centralized control or administration. This progressed to a more centralized control system which communicated using electric signals and pressurized air. Today, ICS’s use a distributed control approach which is more digitalized. This computerized approach increases reliability and availability of machinery by allowing remote monitoring and control of processes.
What is the cost of Digitalization?
Digitalization has introduced many cybersecurity risks to industrial control systems. Some top cyber vulnerabilities include a lack of cyber awareness and training among employees, inadequate separation of data networks, outdated operating systems and software, the increase in use of mobile devices and inadequate supply chain management.
Addressing cyber issues in Industrial Control Systems
Securing ICS requires the use of many principles used in defending traditional IT systems such as risk assessments, defense in depth and zero trust strategies. However, these principles are applied differently when securing industrial control systems. This should not be a limitation to IT professionals who want to defend ICS from cyber-attacks.
As an entry point, consider the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). It has dozens of free webs based and instructor led courses that teach how to defend against cyber threats in industrial control systems. Courses such as operational security in control systems and ICS cybersecurity build on your existing knowledge of securing IT systems and make you best placed and suitable to secure ICS.
Get into it!
With the right personnel and skills, many of the threats to ICS can be overcome. Securing ICS is something you would explore. It is worth the effort as millions of lives can be adversely affected with the smallest cyber-attack. There is a far-reaching impact you can make when securing industrial control systems.
