Detecting Attacks On Scada Systems

Detecting Attacks On Scada Systems

Overview

Cybersecurity skill for detecting attacks on scada systems. Follows industry best practices and security standards.

When to Use

Trigger phrases:

• "detecting attacks on scada systems"

• "This skill covers detecting cyber attacks targeting Supervisory Control and Data"

• When deploying intrusion detection capabilities in a SCADA environment for the first time

• When investigating suspected cyber attacks against industrial control systems

• When building detection rules for OT-specific attack patterns (Stuxnet, TRITON, Industroyer)

• When integrating OT network monitoring with an enterprise SOC for unified threat visibility

• When responding to alerts from OT security monitoring tools (Dragos, Nozomi, Claroty)

Do not use for detecting attacks on IT-only networks without SCADA/ICS components, for building generic network IDS rules (see building-detection-rules-with-sigma), or for incident response procedures after an attack is confirmed (see performing-ot-incident-response).

When NOT to Use

• When you lack proper authorization for testing
• For production systems without change management
• When the task requires legal or compliance expertise beyond technical scope

Prerequisites

• Passive network monitoring sensors deployed on SPAN/TAP ports at OT network boundaries
• OT intrusion detection system (Dragos Platform, Nozomi Guardian, Claroty xDome, or Suricata with OT rulesets)
• Understanding of industrial protocols in use (Modbus, DNP3, OPC UA, EtherNet/IP, S7comm)
• Baseline of normal SCADA communication patterns (polling intervals, function codes, register ranges)
• Access to process historian data for physical process anomaly correlation

Workflow

# Example: IOC detection
import re

IOC_PATTERNS = {
    "ip": r"\b(?:\d{1,3}\.){3}\d{1,3}\b",
    "domain": r"\b[a-z0-9-]+\.[a-z]{2,}\b",
    "hash_md5": r"\b[a-f0-9]{32}\b",
    "hash_sha256": r"\b[a-f0-9]{64}\b",
}

def extract_iocs(text: str) -> dict:
    return {k: re.findall(v, text) for k, v in IOC_PATTERNS.items()}

1. Define Detection Scope — Identify the specific attacks on scada systems techniques or indicators to hunt. Map to MITRE ATT&CK tactics/techniques where applicable.
2. Collect Baseline Data — Gather historical logs and establish normal behavior patterns for attacks on scada systems.
3. Build Detection Queries — Write detection rules, Sigma rules, or SIEM queries targeting attacks on scada systems indicators.
4. Execute Hunts — Run queries against the collected data, starting with broad filters and narrowing down.
5. Triage Results — Investigate alerts, filter false positives, and validate findings against known-good behavior.
6. Document Findings — Record confirmed detections, IOCs, and affected systems. Update detection rules based on findings.

Tools

• SIEM Platform — Central log aggregation and query execution
• Sigma Rules — Vendor-agnostic detection rule format
• MITRE ATT&CK Navigator — Technique mapping and coverage analysis

Process

1. Reconnaissance — Gather target information, identify attack surface, enumerate services
2. Analysis/Exploitation — Execute the technique, analyze results, document findings
3. Reporting — Document IOCs, write findings, provide remediation recommendations

Verification

• All attacks on scada systems procedures executed completely and documented
• Findings validated against multiple data sources
• False positives identified and filtered
• Results documented with evidence and timestamps
• Recommendations provided with risk-based prioritization

Anti-Rationalization Table