SCADA systems monitor and control geographically distributed physical infrastructure — pipelines, power grids, water treatment plants, and rail networks — through remote terminal units and field devices that were designed for reliability on isolated networks and are now increasingly connected to corporate IT and cloud analytics platforms in ways that dramatically expand their attack surface. CISA, NERC, and the ICS-CERT have documented hundreds of successful intrusions into SCADA-connected systems, with Zero Trust access controls for remote operator access, vendor maintenance sessions, and historian data flows representing the primary mitigations recommended in their advisories.
Related: Zero Trust for OT · IEC-62443 · OT Controls · Energy · Pipelines