The US Department of Homeland Security and the private sector still have not developed a comprehensive strategy for securing the real-time control systems which manage much of the nation’s critical infrastructure. In a hearing on the security of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, which are used to manage infrastructure such as the electric power grid and oil and gas pipelines, senator Adam Putnam said the lack of a national strategy to deal with SCADA system security makes the nation “undeniably vulnerable” to cyberterrorism. Putnam is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Technology, Information Policy, Intergovernmental Relations and the Census. “The more I’ve learned [about the lack of SCADA system security], the more concerned I’ve become,” said Putnam. “I’ve learned that today’s SCADA systems have been designed with little or no attention to computer security. Data are often sent as clear text; protocols for accepting commands are open, with no authentication required; and communications channels are often wireless, leased lines or the internet.” Full Story
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