SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems - It's a system of software and hardware components that allows organizations to control and monitor industrial processes by directly interfacing with plant-floor machinery and viewing real-time data from sensors.
Option A: Insufficient Network Segmentation
While this allows attackers to move laterally within the network, it primarily serves as an enabler for other attacks rather than directly causing immediate operational disruptions.
Option C: Vulnerabilities in Remote Access Protocols
Exploiting remote access can grant unauthorized control, which is highly dangerous. However, the direct manipulation of sensor data (as in Option B) can have more immediate and widespread physical consequences.
Option D: Lack of Regular Software Updates
This increases susceptibility to known exploits, but without an active exploit, the risk remains theoretical. It does not directly cause harm unless combined with other vulnerabilities.
*SCADA systems rely heavily on accurate sensor data to monitor and control industrial processes. If malware alters this data, it can lead to incorrect operational decisions.
*Altered sensor data can cause machinery to operate outside safe parameters, leading to equipment damage, environmental harm, or even threats to human safety.
*Critical infrastructure like power grids, water treatment plants, and manufacturing lines can experience significant disruptions, leading to widespread consequences.
The Stuxnet worm attack is the most well-known SCADA system breach - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet