Industrial Control System (ICS)

What Is an Industrial Control System (ICS)?

An Industrial Control System (ICS) is a system that monitors and controls industrial processes — including SCADA systems, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), and distributed control systems — typically running in critical infrastructure environments like power, water, manufacturing, and oil and gas.

ICS environments have historically been air-gapped, but increasing connectivity has made ICS firmware and embedded software a major risk surface. Nation-state actors specifically target ICS, and many ICS devices ship with firmware that has not been independently evaluated. Bringing ICS firmware into software supply chain risk programs requires the binary-level visibility that source-based tools cannot provide.

Related Terms

Operational Technology · Firmware · Extended IoT · Nation-State Threat Actor