SCADA.

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems that gather telemetry from remote field devices and let operators monitor and command large industrial processes. It belongs to the OT / ICS / IoT category of cybersecurity.

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems that gather telemetry from remote field devices and let operators monitor and command large industrial processes.

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is a category of ICS that centralizes the monitoring and control of geographically distributed assets such as pipelines, electric grids, and water networks. A typical architecture combines field devices (PLCs, RTUs, IEDs), communication links (cellular, radio, fiber), SCADA servers, historians, and HMIs in a control room. SCADA traffic often uses unauthenticated protocols (Modbus, DNP3, IEC 60870-5-104), making it vulnerable to spoofing, replay, and command injection if exposed to untrusted networks. High-profile incidents — including Stuxnet, Industroyer, and the Oldsmar water hack — show how attackers can manipulate SCADA to disrupt operations or threaten safety.

Defences for SCADA typically combine technical controls and operational practices, as detailed in the full definition above.

Common alternative names include: Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition.