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

监控和数据采集（SCADA）网络是关键工业基础设施的一个组成部分，如电网、供水装置、核电站、石油和天然气管道以及其他分布式系统。传统的SCADA网络是隔离的，其应用是单独管理的。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。虽然这提高了性能和更好的可管理性，但也使这些系统暴露在网络威胁之下，使它们容易受到网络攻击。

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.