Verification of security intelligence for a resilient SCADA system

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) networks perform key functions to provide essential services and commodities such as energy, utilities, defense and communication system of a country. SCADA is a part of a nation’s critical infrastructure and operates with the support of industrial control systems, sensor networks, advanced information and communication technologies. SCADA networks are potentially vulnerable to various types of malicious attacks which may affect the safety of common people and the performance of critical infrastructure seriously and may cause huge financial loss. An efficient SCADA system is expected to be a resilient system. The resiliency measures the ability to and the speed at which a SCADA system can return to normal performance level following a disruption. The vulnerability of a SCADA system to a disruptive event can be viewed as a combination of likelihood of a disruption and its potential severity. This paper explores a set of verification mechanisms to check the security intelligence of a resilient SCADA system. SCADA system can be checked through intrusion, device attestation, secure communication, inference control and credential access control verification mechanisms. These verification mechanisms are analyzed in the context of a smart intelligent energy grid. Keywords: SCADA, Security intelligence, Resiliency, Verification mechanisms, Model checking.