Indian Railways updates their SCADA cybersecurity
Indian Railways is fixing vulnerabilities in its electric train traction power distribution system
In January, 2023, Indian Railways, the Indian public railway operator, updated SCADA cybersecurity on its electric trains. The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), India’s cybersecurity agency, had reported “cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the system,” and requested this update to fix them.
More specifically, the railway operator renewed “technical specs for the control and data acquisition system in regard to the 25V 50Hz AC single phase traction power supply”.
This SCADA system monitors the supply of traction power, i.e. the power needed to pull electric trains. In particular, it ensures the continuity of the power supply at constant voltage.
This announcement came about in a tense environment for the cybersecurity of companies and State agents in India. Indian government organizations suffered 19 ransomware attacks in 2022, compared to just 7 in 2021.