AWWA IMTECH62884

A recent US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) sponsored WERF/AwwaRF research project, led by EMA, was designed to determine current data security vulnerabilities and consequences and to quantify vulnerabilities for water and wastewater utilities. The results of this research project offer utility managers a variety of valuable lessons that will be explored in this presentation. While previous automated systems were resilient largely due to complex communication protocols, proprietary real-time operating systems, and limited connectivity, today's technology has left supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and process control (PCS) systems vulnerable to intrusions. At the same time, the information contained in these systems is necessary to facilitate effective day-to-day management. As part of this project, 10 utilities (small to large) from across the United States participated in the research, testing, and validation of various recommendations and an assessment tool. Self-analysis by participating utilities revealed a number of shortcomings in existing security procedures. Field studies unveiled even further vulnerabilities that had previously escaped scrutiny during self-analysis. The research project has produced valuable findings for all utilities, results that give managers the information needed and tools to protect their core business operation of facilities and infrastructure. Just as important, however, is the discovery that adequate protection of automation technology does not require utility managers to forego use of valuable data produced by these systems. Participants will learn what steps to take to secure their data while maintaining valuable access that enables more effective day-to-day management of the utility.