Handbook of SCADA/Control Systems Security

Book excerpt: The availability and security of many services we rely upon—including water treatment, electricity, healthcare, transportation, and financial transactions—are routinely put at risk by cyber threats. The Handbook of SCADA/Control Systems Security is a fundamental outline of security concepts, methodologies, and relevant information pertaining to the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and technology that quietly operate in the background of critical utility and industrial facilities worldwide. Divided into five sections, the book examines topics comprising functions within and throughout industrial control systems (ICS) environments. Topics include: Emerging trends and threat factors that plague the ICS security community Risk methodologies and principles that can be applied to safeguard and secure an automated operation Methods for determining events leading to a cyber incident, and methods for restoring and mitigating issues—including the importance of critical communications The necessity and reasoning behind implementing a governance or compliance program A strategic roadmap for the development of a secured SCADA/control systems environment, with examples Relevant issues concerning the maintenance, patching, and physical localities of ICS equipment How to conduct training exercises for SCADA/control systems The final chapters outline the data relied upon for accurate processing, discusses emerging issues with data overload, and provides insight into the possible future direction of ISC security. The book supplies crucial information for securing industrial automation/process control systems as part of a critical infrastructure protection program. The content has global applications for securing essential governmental and economic systems that have evolved into present-day security nightmares. The authors present a "best practices" approach to securing business management environments at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels.