Secure SCADA Architecture:A Systematic Literature Review.
2026 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (One Year)), 40 credits / 60 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
The convergence of IT and OT technologies in SCADA deployments introduces new cybersecurity vulnerabilitiesby expanding connectivity and increasing interoperability and cross-domain data exchange. However, thevulnerability mechanisms, mitigation technologies, and their effectiveness are not uniformly understood. Thisstudy aims to address what vulnerabilities and risks arise from IT–OT convergence in SCADA, what technologiesthe literature proposes to identify and mitigate these issues, and how effective these technologies are at resolvingthe reported risks and vulnerabilities. A systematic literature review was conducted using a structured searchstrategy combining SCADA and IT-OT convergence terms with cybersecurity, vulnerability, threat, and exposurekeywords, followed by staged screening at the title and abstract level and full-text eligibility assessment. Findingswere then synthesized thematically to extract recurring vulnerability patterns, mitigation approaches, and anyreported evidence of effectiveness. The review literature suggests that IT-OT convergence commonly enablesexploitation pathways through weak access control, authentication and authorization gaps, and bridging layers.At the same time, mitigation approaches frequently focus on architecture aware defenses such as segmentation,secure remote access, identity and access management, and OT aware detection.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2026.
Keywords [en]
SCADA, Convergence, Operational Technology (OT), Information Technology (IT), cybersecurity, vulnerabilities, resilience, Industry 4.0, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
National Category
Engineering and Technology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-73246OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hj-73246DiVA, id: diva2:2085537
Subject / course
JTH, Computer Engineering
Presentation
(English)
Supervisors
Examiners
2026-07-292026-07-092026-07-29Bibliographically approved