11.1.5. ICS and SCADA

11.1 Firewalls, IoT, and Embedded Systems

ICS

(Industrial Control Systems)**

✅ Used in factories, power plants, utilities (water, electricity, etc.)

✅ Controls real-world devices like valves, pumps, and turbines

✅ Uses PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) for automation

✅ Priorities:

- Availability (Most Important) – Systems must stay running

- Integrity – Ensure correct operations

- Confidentiality (Least Important) – OT networks were historically isolated

✅ Uses Fieldbus (communication between PLCs & sensors)

✅ HMI (Human-Machine Interface): Interface for monitoring & controlling ICS

✅ Data Historian: Logs events for troubleshooting/security monitoring

💡 ICS = Single site control (e.g., factory machines)

PLC

(Programmable Logic Controllers)** for automation

- - PLCs are ruggedized computers designed to withstand harsh industrial environments.

- They are built to control and automate machinery and processes.

Fieldbus

communication between PLCs & sensors

HMI

(Human-Machine Interface):** Interface for monitoring & controlling ICS

SCADA

(Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)**

- A system that monitors and controls industrial processes remotely.

- Used in power grids, water treatment plants, factories, and oil pipelines.

- Example: A SCADA system can adjust water pressure in a city’s water supply or control electricity flow in a power grid.

✅ A type of ICS, but controls large-scale systems across multiple locations

✅ Used in electric grids, smart meters, pipelines, city water systems

✅ Uses WAN (Wide Area Network) connections (Cellular, Fiber, VPN, Satellite)

✅ SCADA software runs on regular IT systems (Windows/Linux)

💡 SCADA = Multiple sites, wide-area control (e.g., electric grid)

Ladder Logic

graphical programming language used for PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) in ICS/SCADA.

✅ It looks like a flowchart with circuit diagrams (using AND, OR, NOT logic).

✅ Purpose: Automates industrial processes (e.g., assembly lines, power plants).

✅ Why it matters in security: If ICS is compromised, attackers could manipulate Ladder Logic to alter machine operations.