ICS-SCADA Sample Questions Answers

IEC 62443 defines multiple security levels (SLs) tailored to address different types of threats and attackers in industrial control systems.

Security Level 4 (SL4) is designed to protect against sophisticated attacks by adversaries such as hacktivists or terrorists. SL4 involves threats that are targeted with specific intent against the organization, using advanced skills and means.

This level assumes that the adversary is capable of sustained and focused efforts with significant resources, including state-level actors or well-funded groups, aiming at causing widespread disruption or damage.

References

IEC 62443-3-3: System security requirements and security levels.

"Industrial Network Security: Securing Critical Infrastructure Networks for Smart Grid, SCADA, and Other Industrial Control Systems," by Eric Knapp.

The WannaCry ransomware primarily exploited vulnerabilities in the SMB (Server Message Block) version 1 protocol to propagate across network systems. Microsoft had identified vulnerabilities in SMBv1, which were exploited by the EternalBlue exploit to spread the ransomware. This led to widespread infections, particularly in systems that had not applied the security updates released to patch the vulnerability.References:

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS17-010, "Security Update for Microsoft Windows SMB Server".

A network switch typically operates at Layer 2 of the OSI model, which is the Data Link layer. This layer is responsible for node-to-node data transfer—a function that involves handling data frames between physical devices on the same network or link. The switch uses MAC addresses to forward data to the appropriate destination within the network.References:

Andrew S. Tanenbaum, "Computer Networks".

The third generation of ICS/SCADA systems is considered distributed. This generation features systems that are networked and interconnected, typically using a variety of standard communication protocols. This distribution allows for broader connectivity and integration with other systems, enhancing operational flexibility and efficiency but also introducing more vectors for potential cyber threats.References:

Joseph Weiss, "Protecting Industrial Control Systems from Electronic Threats".

The third generation of ICS/SCADA systems is considered distributed. These systems emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s and were designed to overcome the limitations of earlier generations by leveraging networked architectures.

Distributed Architecture: Third-generation systems distributed control functions across multiple interconnected devices and systems, providing greater scalability and flexibility.

Network Integration: These systems integrated more extensively with IT networks, allowing for remote monitoring and control.

Standard Protocols: Adoption of standard communication protocols (e.g., Ethernet, TCP/IP) facilitated interoperability and integration with other systems.

Enhanced Redundancy: Improved fault tolerance and redundancy were implemented to ensure system reliability.

Due to these features, the third generation is known as the distributed generation.

References

"SCADA Systems," SCADAHacker, SCADA Generations.

E. Knapp, J. Langill, "Industrial Network Security," Syngress, 2014.

RIPENCC (Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre) is one of the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) that allocate IP addresses and manage related resources within a specific region.

Specifically, RIPENCC covers Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Central Asia.

For domain owners, while the top-level domain (TLD) registrars handle domain registration, the information about IP allocations and related network infrastructure information in Europe is managed by RIPENCC.

References

RIPE Network Coordination Centre:https://www.ripe.net

RIPE Documentation and Information: https://www.ripe.net/manage-ips-and-asns

The first generation of ICS/SCADA systems is considered monolithic, primarily characterized by standalone systems that had no external communications or connectivity with other systems. These systems were typically fully self-contained, with all components hard-wired together, and operations were managed without any networked interaction.References:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "Recommended Practice: Improving Industrial Control System Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies".

In ICS/SCADA systems, the highest priority typically is Availability, due to the critical nature of the services and infrastructures they support. These systems often control vital processes in industries like energy, water treatment, and manufacturing. Any downtimecan lead to significant disruptions, safety hazards, or economic losses. Thus, ensuring that systems are operational and accessible is a primary security focus in the context of ICS/SCADA security.References:

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), "Guide to Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Security".

The Modbus protocol was developed by Modicon, now a brand of Schneider Electric.

It was originally designed in 1979 for use with its programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in industrial applications.

Modbus is a serial communications protocol that has become a de facto standard communication protocol and is now commonly used to connect industrial electronic devices. The main reasons for its use are its simplicity and the fact that it is open-source, which allows manufacturers to build their own implementations of the standard.

References

"Modbus Protocol Reference Guide," Modicon, Inc., 1979.

"A Guide to the Modbus Protocol," Schneider Electric.

Information management within the context of network security involves several critical functions that ensure data is correctly handled for security operations. These functions include:

Normalization: This process standardizes data formats from various sources to a common format, making it easier to analyze systematically.

Correlation: This function identifies relationships between disparate pieces of data, helping to identify patterns or potential security incidents.

Data enrichment: Adds context to the collected data, enhancing the information with additional details, such as threat intelligence.

All these functions are essential to effective information management in security systems, allowing for more accurate monitoring and faster response to potential threats.

References

"Data Enrichment and Correlation in SIEM Systems," Security Information Management Best Practices.

"Normalization Techniques for Security Data," Journal of Network Security.

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) have evolved through several generations, each characterized by different technological capabilities and integration levels.

The third generation of ICS/SCADA systems is considered networked. This generation incorporates more advanced digital and networking technologies, allowing for broader connectivity and communication across different systems and components within industrial environments.

Third-generation SCADA systems are often characterized by their use of standard communication protocols and networked solutions, improving interoperability and control but also increasing the attack surface for potential cyber threats.

References

"Evolution of Industrial Control Systems and Cybersecurity Implications," IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications.

"Network Security for Industrial Control Systems," by Department of Homeland Security.

A "watering hole" attack is a security exploit in which the attacker seeks to compromise a specific group of end users by infecting websites that members of the group are known to visit.

The goal is to infect a website that members of a targeted community frequently use with malware. Once a user visits the compromised website, malware can be delivered to the user’s system, exploiting vulnerabilities on their device.

This attack vector is used in scenarios where attackers want to breach secure environments indirectly by targeting less secure points in a network's ecosystem, such as third-party software used within the organization.

References

"Watering Hole Attacks: Detect, Disrupt, and Prevent," by Kaspersky Lab.

"Emerging Threats in Cybersecurity: Understanding Watering Hole Attacks," published in the Journal of Network Security.

Nmap scripts, which are used to enhance the functionality of Nmap for performing network discovery, security auditing, and other tasks, have the extension.nse. This stands for Nmap Scripting Engine, which allows users to write scripts to automate a widevariety of networking tasks.References:

Nmap Network Scanning by Gordon Lyon (also known as Fyodor Vaskovich), detailing the use and examples of Nmap scripts.

Nmap (Network Mapper) is a network scanning and security auditing tool. Scripts used by Nmap for performing different network discovery and security auditing tasks are stored in/usr/share/nmap/scripts. This directory contains a collection of scripts for NSE (Nmap Scripting Engine), which enables Nmap to perform additional networking tasks, often used for detecting vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and security-related information about network services.References:

Nmap documentation, "Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE)".

Eavesdropping and interception primarily attack the confidentiality component of the IT Security Model. Confidentiality is concerned with protecting information from beingaccessed by unauthorized parties. Eavesdropping involves listening to private communication or capturing data as it is transmitted over a network, thereby breaching the confidentiality of the information.References:

William Stallings, "Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice".

LACNIC (Latin American and Caribbean Network Information Centre) is the regional Internet registry for Latin America and parts of the Caribbean. It manages the allocation and registration of Internet number resources (such as IP addresses and AS numbers) within this region and maintains the registry of domain owners in South America.References:

LACNIC official website, "About LACNIC".

tcpdumpis a powerful command-line packet analyzer used primarily in UNIX and UNIX-like operating systems; it allows the capture and display of TCP/IP and other packets being transmitted or received over a network to which the computer is attached.

Unlike graphical tools like Wireshark,tcpdumpprovides raw output of the packet captures directly to the terminal or a specified file, making it ideal for deep dive network analysis, especially in environments where a graphical user interface is unavailable.

tcpdumpuses the libpcap library to capture packet data, which allows it to support a wide range of command-line options to filter and display packet information according to user needs.

References

"tcpdump manual page," by the Tcpdump Group.

"Practical Packet Analysis Using Wireshark to Solve Real-World Network Problems," by Chris Sanders, No Starch Press.

Modification attacks directly impact the integrity of data within the IT Security Model. Integrity ensures that information is accurate and unchanged from its original form unless altered by authorized means. An attack that involves modification manipulates data in unauthorized ways, thereby compromising its accuracy and reliability.References:

Shon Harris, "CISSP Certification: All-in-One Exam Guide".

ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) is used in network devices, like routers, to send error messages and operational information indicating success or failure when communicating with another IP address.

An ICMP type 8 packet specifically is an "Echo Request." It is used primarily by the ping command to test the connectivity between two nodes.

When a device sends an ICMP Echo Request, it expects to receive an ICMP Echo Reply (type 0) from the target node. This mechanism helps in diagnosing the state and reachability of a network on the Internet or within a private network.

References

RFC 792 Internet Control Message Protocol: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc792

Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) ICMP Parameters:

Thenetstatcommand is a versatile networking tool used for various network-related information-gathering tasks, including displaying all network connections, routing tables, interface statistics, masquerade connections, and multicast memberships.

The specific option-rwith thenetstatcommand is used to display the routing table.

This information is critical for troubleshooting network issues and understanding how data is routed through a network, identifying possible points of failure or security vulnerabilities.

References

"Linux Network Administrator's Guide," by O'Reilly Media.

Man pages fornetstatin UNIX/Linux distributions.