Florida Water Resources Journal: SCADA Cybersecurity in Today’s World

In the September 2023 issue of the Florida Water Resources Journal, Mike Stoup, PE, McKim & Creed’ s Vice President and Manager of Electrical/Controls Group, and Robert (RJ) Burney, president of Overwatch OT in Sarasota wrote an article on SCADA Cybersecurity.

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, long hidden behind the network room or control panel door and separated from the internet by industry-specific protocols, are now a popular target for cybersecurity attacks.

The ability to remotely control a water facility and, for instance, disrupt production or alter the chemical treatment process, is an attractive target for people who want to do harm. The advancement of SCADA systems, the introduction of Ethernet-enabled devices, and the demand for remote access have made these systems far more accessible to the outside world and much more vulnerable to attacks. This is further exacerbated by SCADA vendor products becoming more reliant on Ethernet and requiring out-of-network communications for new features. These vulnerabilities, coupled with a lack of security requirements from the government and an outdated security posture, have put water and wastewater systems at significant risk.

This article will show some of the main reasons for performing a cybersecurity audit, what a proper audit should include, and what the deliverables should be. It will not include scary stories to drive the idea home that cybersecurity audits are necessary as the need should already be understood.

To read the entire article, visit Florida Water Resources Journal.