Security Architecture for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Networks

监控和数据采集(SCADA)网络是电网、供水装置、核电站、石油和天然气管道以及其他分布式系统等关键工业基础设施的组成部分。传统的SCADA网络是隔离的，它们的应用程序是单独管理的。然而，最近的设计开始越来越多地使用开放访问通信协议，它们管理的应用程序主要是通过互联网连接的智能设备和传感器。虽然这带来了性能的提高和更好的可管理性，但它也使这些系统暴露在网络威胁之下，并使它们容易受到网络攻击。安全SCADA网络的研究由于其固有的挑战而引起了极大的关注，即缺乏标准，由于资源限制而导致的弱密码协议，以及此类系统的分布式开放访问特性。这项建议的主要目标是调查、设计和开发SCADA网络的安全架构，并在智能电网和智能供水管理这两个关键基础设施应用上进行测试。该提案的新奇之处在于设计和开发了一种端到端架构，该架构使用上下文感知框架和轻量级算法来缓解对SCADA网络的网络攻击。支持这一提议的组织是Cistel Technology Inc.和Technologie Sanstream。Cistel Technology Inc.是一家总部位于渥太华的IT公司，正在开发智能电力系统，而Technologie Sanstream是一家总部位于魁北克的公司，正在开发智能水管理系统。因此，这项研究将解决为两家公司设计和部署安全SCADA网络的一个关键领域。在三年的时间里，该项目将培养两名博士生和九名硕士研究生。这些学生将在网络安全和智能关键基础设施领域获得丰富的知识和不同的技能组合，从而使迫切需要该领域高素质人才的加拿大组织和行业受益。

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) networks are an integral part of critical industrial infrastructures, such as power grids, water supply units, nuclear plants, oil and natural gas pipelines, and other distributed systems. Traditional SCADA networks were isolated and their applications were individually managed. However, recent designs are beginning to increasingly use open access communication protocols and the applications that they manage are mainly smart devices and sensors that connect via the Internet. While this has led to improved performance and better manageability, it has also exposed such systems to cyber-threats and made them vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Research on securing SCADA networks has attracted enormous attention due to its inherent challenges, namely, lack of standards, weak cryptographic protocols due to resource constraints, and the distributed open access nature of such systems. The primary objective of this proposal is to investigate, design and develop a security architecture for SCADA networks and test it on two critical infrastructure applications, namely, smart grid and smart water supply management. The novelty of the proposal is the design and development of an end-to-end architecture that uses a context-aware framework with lightweight algorithms for mitigating cyber attacks on SCADA networks. The supporting organizations for this proposal are Cistel Technology Inc., an Ottawa based IT company that is developing a smart power system and Technologie Sanstream, a Quebec based company that is developing a smart water management system. Thus this research will address a crucial area in the design and deployment of secure SCADA networks for both companies. Over a period of three years, this project will train two Ph.D. students and nine Masters students. These students will gain rich knowledge and diverse skill sets in the areas of cyber-security and smart critical infrastructures, consequently benefiting Canadian organizations and industries that are in urgent need of highly qualified personnel in this area.