Industrial control systems is the term used to identify several types of control systems, including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, process control systems (PCSs), and other smaller control system types, such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), used in critical infrastructure such as power plants, oil and gas pipelines, electrical power distribution, and manufacturing facilities.
Historically these control systems were kept separate from the corporate network. Because of this isolation they were traditionally difficult to break into because of their separation for health and safety reasons.
More recently, control systems may be running Windows or Linux, using the Internet Protocol (IP) to communicate, giving direct access to SCADA networks via the Internet. Wireless and Bluetooth capabilities allow remote management and diagnosis. These connections to the outside create a massive challenge from a security perspective for the following reasons: