First International Conference on the Design of Cyber-Secure Water Plants

The 1st International Conference on the Design of Cyber-Secure Water Plants (DCS-Water’24) is a 2-day event aimed at bringing together a diverse group of researchers and practitioners to present and discuss novel methods and tools for protecting water plants against cyberattacks.

Numerous water and waste-water treatment plants produce water critical to the sustenance of our daily life. Plants that produce clean water, and the associated distribution networks, often use Industrial Control Systems (ICS). Such systems include, among others devices, PLCs, sensors, and communication networks to control the treatment plant and the distribution networks. Vulnerabilities in the ICS design, PLC software, communication network, and, most importantly, the existence of the human element, lead to the potential of successful cyberattacks. Such attacks could impact the operation of the water pants in various ways, such as, for example, component damage, production of poor-quality water, and supply interruption. Novel methods are needed to defend water plants against such cyberattacks.