SCADA
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
Überwachung und Steuerung verteilter Prozesse
SCADA denotes systems for the central monitoring and control of widely distributed industrial processes — such as electricity, gas or water networks. A control centre collects data from field stations (RTUs, PLCs) and sends control commands back. SCADA is the overarching nervous system of critical infrastructure.
History & facts. SCADA systems connect a central control centre (with HMI and data storage) via telecontrol protocols with numerous distributed field stations. They are the backbone of supply networks and thus a preferred target: the attacks on the Ukrainian power grid showed how the manipulation of the control level causes real supply outages. Historically, SCADA environments were little protected against cyberattacks because they were considered isolated.
Outlook & recommendation. For KRITIS operators under NIS2, securing SCADA is not optional: visibility across the entire chain from the control centre to the field station, strict segmentation, controlled remote access and the monitoring of control communication are central. Since interventions in running operations are risky, passive, non-invasive approaches dominate. Monitoring such environments without operational disruption is a core field of OT security that NEOSEC addresses.