Submitted by Eric Byres on Wed, 2012-09-05 21:00
Recently I saw a posting on LinkedIn asking “What’s the difference between a SCADA system and an ICS system, and if there is no difference, then why do we have two different names?”
This is a good question, because unless you have worked in the industrial automation field for a few decades, the terminology can seem very confusing. Not only do we have SCADA versus ICS, we also have terms like Process Control, Discrete Control, Industrial Automation, Manufacturing Automation Systems, Distributed Control Systems, Energy Management Systems and so on.
Submitted by Eric Byres on Thu, 2011-09-15 09:30
A few weeks ago, I received an email from a user asking about antivirus protection for SCADA systems. Now I think antivirus is an essential tool for ICS and SCADA systems. However, this is what he wrote:
My security supplier tells me that attacks from Stuxnet (and next-Stuxnet like worms) can be avoided by protecting WinCC computers using an antivirus product. This will make the PLC perfectly safe, they tell me.
Submitted by Eric Byres on Tue, 2011-05-10 21:00
Recently I was asked “How could a hacker possibly attack an industrial controller like a PLC or SIS, since there is no operating system in these devices?”
Now some manufacturers would like people to believe there is no operating system in a controller, but unfortunately this is not true. Every RTU, PLC, SIS or DCS controller on the market today has a commercial operating system in it. For example, here are just a few I have worked directly with in the past:
