What level of security is necessary for Water-wastewater SCADA / DCS Systems?
Security has become a major issue with any computer system. Because water systems have significant concerns over public safety, the security of SCADA systems is of primary concern. There are some powerful tools and procedures that can significantly reduce the threat. As with any security system, physical security is the first line of defense. Therefore it is critical that a SCADA system monitor the physical premises and report unauthorized activity. At the remote stations, RTUs should be programmed and configured in a way that does not allow changes to the primary program over the communications media. In addition, the RTU should be programmed with fixed control logic to identify and react when program parameters are modified or unusual conditions are present. In critical circumstances (such as sewage lift stations), hardwired backup should also be included in the control logic. All these tools will serve to ensure a station reports to the central when a problem is identified. In addit
