Most Recent Eccouncil ICS-SCADA Exam Questions & Answers

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 downtime can 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. Reference:

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

The Authentication Header (AH) in the context of IPsec has a fixed header portion of 24 bits and a mutable part that can vary, but when considering the fixed structure of the AH itself, the width is typically considered to be 32 bits at its core structure for basic operations in providing integrity and authentication, without confidentiality. Reference:

RFC 4302, 'IP Authentication Header'.

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) uses several metrics to assess the severity of vulnerabilities. Among them, the Temporal metric group specifically reflects the exploit quotient of a vulnerability.

Temporal metrics consider factors that change over time after a vulnerability is initially assessed. These include:

Exploit Code Maturity: This assesses the likelihood of the vulnerability being exploited based on the availability and maturity of exploit code.

Remediation Level: The level of remediation available for the vulnerability, which influences the ease of mitigation.

Report Confidence: This metric measures the reliability of the reports about the vulnerability.

These temporal factors directly affect the exploitability and potential threat posed by a vulnerability, adjusting the base score to provide a more current view of the risk.

Reference

Common Vulnerability Scoring System v3.1: User Guide.

'Understanding CVSS,' by FIRST (Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams).

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. Reference:

Stuxnet is a highly sophisticated piece of malware discovered in 2010 that specifically targeted Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems used to control and monitor industrial processes.

The primary targets of Stuxnet were Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), which are critical components in industrial control systems.

Stuxnet was designed to infect Siemens Step7 software PLCs. It altered the operation of the PLCs to cause physical damage to the connected hardware, famously used against Iran's uranium enrichment facility, where it caused the fast-spinning centrifuges to tear themselves apart.

Reference

Langner, R. 'Stuxnet: Dissecting a Cyberwarfare Weapon.' IEEE Security & Privacy, May-June 2011.

'W32.Stuxnet Dossier,' Symantec Corporation, Version 1.4, February 2011.