Securing Industrial Control Systems

A serious, potential malware threat has been detected on the systems that control many aspects of critical infrastructure in the United States.  These industrial control systems (ICS) manage the operation of valves, turbines, and other physical devices that are essential to manufacturing, electricity generation, and water services.

ICS systems offer access to systems with the potential to cause substantial physical damage, as they form a bridge between the cyber domain and physical infrastructure. One example of this is Stuxnet, arguably one of the most well known cyber-weapons ever deployed. Stuxnet, believed by many to have been launched by the United States and Israel, targeted the systems that controlled the speed at which Iranian nuclear centrifuges spun, and caused them to spin too fast, which resulted in the destruction of the centrifuge. The precedent set by Stuxnet demonstrates that the potential for damage that could be caused through a cyber-attack on ICS is a very real threat – and one that remains largely under-addressed.