For more than two decades, I have built and analyzed a control system automation incident data repository documenting events across multiple critical infrastructure sectors. The incidents span electric power, water and wastewater, manufacturing, transportation, oil and gas, nuclear power, space, and other industries. Some were malicious; many were not. What they shared was an impact on the physical process, including lost production, equipment damage, environmental releases, injuries, or deaths. Collectively, this cross-sector evidence provides an engineering basis for understanding automation risk that extends well beyond the boundaries of conventional network cybersecurity. The ACS incident data repository was developed to answer three fundamental questions: What causes operational disruptions and physical harm in automation environments? How frequently do these incidents occur? Do similar incidents occur across different critical infrastructure sectors? The recent Iranian attacks on water systems, international attacks targeting refrigeration systems, and lesser-known but equally concerning unintentional control system automation incidents demonstrate why answering these questions should be a priority for both government and industry. Understanding the causes, frequency, and cross-sector commonalities of automation incidents is essential to improving the safety, reliability, resilience, and cybersecurity of critical infrastructures.
Tue, Nov 3
A new home for the ACS automation incident data repository
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