Vulnerability Analysis of Network Scanning on SCADA Systems

Coffey, Kyle; Smith, Richard; Maglaras, Leandros; Janicke, Helge

Abstract

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and Industrial Control Systems (ICSs) have controlled the regulation and management of Critical National Infrastructure environments for decades. With the demand for remote facilities to be controlled and monitored, industries have continued to adopt Internet technology into their ICS and SCADA systems so that their enterprise can span across international borders in order to meet the demand of modern living. Although this is a necessity, it could prove to be potentially dangerous. The devices that make up ICS and SCADA systems have bespoke purposes and are often inherently vulnerable and difficult to merge with newer technologies. The focus of this article is to explore, test, and critically analyse the use of network scanning tools against bespoke SCADA equipment in order to identify the issues with conducting asset discovery or service detection on SCADA systems with the same tools used on conventional IP networks. The observations and results of the experiments conducted are helpful in evaluating their feasibility and whether they have a negative impact on how they operate. This in turn helps deduce whether network scanners open a new set of vulnerabilities unique to SCADA systems.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 5, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Mar 13, 2018
• Publication Date: Mar 13, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jan 5, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 6, 2023
• Journal: Security and Communication Networks
• Print ISSN: 1939-0114
• Electronic ISSN: 1939-0122
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2018
• Article Number: 3794603
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3794603
• Keywords: Operating systems, Infrastructure, Network security, Scanners, Water treatment, Intellectual property, IP (Internet Protocol), Auditing, Internet Protocol, Internet crime, Remote monitoring, Supervisory control and data acquisition, Control systems, Netwo
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2969522