SIS

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:

Earlier this week Patrick Coyle wrote an excellent blog on Safety Integrated Systems (SIS) and why they are so important to safe industrial operations. If you are new to the SCADA and ICS world, or if you have mostly worked on non-safety related processes, I highly recommend you read his blog.