National Cyber Warfare Foundation (NCWF)

Welcome back, my aspiring SCADA/ICS security engineers! SCADA/ICS hacking is one of the most important areas of cybersecurity and one of the least understood. SCADA/ICS systems power our entire industrial infrastructure and are critical to the every day functioning of our economy and lives. These systems include; Without any of these systems, an economy can […]

The post SCADA/ICS Forensics, Nov. 18-20 first appeared on Hackers Arise.

Welcome back, my aspiring SCADA/ICS security engineers!

SCADA/ICS hacking is one of the most important areas of cybersecurity and one of the least understood. SCADA/ICS systems power our entire industrial infrastructure and are critical to the every day functioning of our economy and lives. These systems include;

Electrical generation and transmission

Chemical processing

Oil refineries

Food processing

Pharmaceutical manufacturing

Water and wastewater systems

Cellular and mobile communication systems

Without any of these systems, an economy can be crippled. Hackers-Arise is one of the leaders in SCADA/ICS cybersecurity, and next month we are offering a new class in this discipline, SCADA/ICS Forensics.

If we are to protect these systems, we need to understand how hackers can access these systems and how we can detect their presence and actions.

SCADA/ICS Forensics Training Outline

1. Introduction to ICS/SCADA Systems

Overview of industrial control systems (ICS) and SCADA architecture

Key components: PLCs, RTUs, sensors, actuators, HMIs, data historians

Differences between IT and OT environments

2. ICS/SCADA Protocols and Communications

Common industrial protocols (Modbus, DNP3, OPC, PROFIBUS, etc.)

TCP/IP and fieldbus network topologies

Protocol vulnerabilities and forensic implications

3. Threats, Attacks, and Incident Scenarios

ICS-specific threats (insider, supply chain, targeted malware)

Case studies: from Russia’s attacks Ukraine’s infrastructure,Stuxnet, Industroyer, Triton, and ransomware in ICS

Attack methodologies unique to ICS/SCADA

4. ICS/SCADA Forensic Fundamentals

Principles of digital forensics in ICS/SCADA

Preservation of volatile and non-volatile evidence

Chain of custody, legal and compliance considerations

5. Evidence Collection Techniques

Safe imaging of PLCs, HMIs, and historian servers

Capturing network traffic in industrial environments

Handling physical and logical data acquisition in situ

6. Log Analysis and Event Correlation

ICS-specific log sources (controller logs, SCADA system logs)

Event timeline reconstruction and anomaly detection

Dealing with proprietary and legacy logging systems

7. Malware Analysis and Reverse Engineering in ICS

Identifying ICS-focused malware (e.g., OT ransomware, custom payloads)

Static and dynamic analysis of binaries from field devices

Artifact recovery from embedded devices and firmware

8. Network Forensics in OT/ICS Environments

Deep packet inspection of industrial protocol traffic

Identifying network-based evidence (command/response, unauthorized access)

Use of specialized tools (Wireshark with ICS dissectors, etc.)

9. Reporting and Remediation

Documentation of forensic findings for ICS/SCADA

Coordinating with OT/IT teams for incident response

Lessons learned and post-incident review practices

Summary

If you job requires you to protect SCADA/ICS systems or you simply want to add SCADA/ICS cybersecurity to your skill set, then this class is for you!

You can enjoy and benefit from all 3 of our SCADA/ICS classes in our SCADA/ICS career path here.