SCADA Security Tools 2026
SCADA security covers the tools that protect supervisory control and data acquisition systems: the masters, RTUs, PLCs, and HMIs that run water treatment, power distribution, pipelines, and manufacturing lines. It is a niche inside cyber-physical security where the consequences are physical, the protocols are decades old (Modbus, DNP3, IEC 60870-5), and a misconfigured scan can knock a controller offline. If you are a CISO who has inherited OT environments that were never meant to touch a network, this is the category that gives you visibility and control without breaking the process.
We cover 3 SCADA Security tools, 1 free and 2 commercial.
Accuracy and depth improve over time. Last reviewed Sep 2026. Is something off? Reach out.
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New to this category? What is SCADA Security?
Python exploitation tool for gaining root access to Sixnet RTUs in SCADA networks by exploiting application-level vulnerabilities.
How to choose SCADA Security tools
- Confirm the tool natively parses your actual SCADA protocols (Modbus, DNP3, IEC 60870-5, OPC), not just a generic packet view.
- Insist on passive, non-intrusive discovery and monitoring so it never sends traffic that can hang a PLC or RTU.
- Check how it gains visibility across distributed remote sites, including span ports, network taps, and constrained WAN links.
- Look at process-aware detection: whether it can baseline normal control behavior and flag anomalous commands, not just known malware signatures.
- Verify integration with your SIEM, SOC workflows, and IT security stack so OT findings do not live in a separate silo.
- Ask for deployment references in your specific sector, since water, power, oil and gas, and manufacturing run very different architectures.
SCADA Security Tools FAQ
Common questions about SCADA Security tools, selection guides, pricing, and comparisons.
SCADA security is the practice and tooling for defending supervisory control and data acquisition systems against cyber attack, tampering, and unauthorized access. It spans asset discovery, passive network monitoring, threat detection, and access control for the controllers, RTUs, PLCs, and HMIs that run industrial processes. The aim is protecting both data integrity and the physical process the system controls, where safety and uptime usually outrank confidentiality.
SCADA is a subset. ICS and OT are the broad umbrella for all industrial control technology, while SCADA refers specifically to the geographically distributed supervisory layer that polls remote sites and aggregates telemetry. Many tools cover the whole OT estate, but SCADA-focused capabilities matter when you have wide-area links, RTUs, and protocols like DNP3 or IEC 60870-5 that general IT products do not understand.
Start with protocol coverage: confirm the tool actually parses the SCADA protocols you run, not just Modbus. Verify it works passively so discovery does not disrupt controllers. Check how it ingests from spans, taps, or RTU telemetry, how it baselines normal process behavior, and how it integrates with your existing SIEM and IT stack. Ask for references from operators in your sector.
IT tools rarely understand industrial protocols, and active scanning can crash fragile controllers, so a purpose-built SCADA or OT product is usually warranted once you have real supervisory infrastructure. That said, the trend is convergence: many platforms now feed OT findings into the same SIEM and SOC workflows you already run, so the decision is less about a separate silo and more about which tool speaks both languages.
Yes, for specific tasks. Open-source protocol dissectors, honeypots, and Modbus or DNP3 testing utilities are common in research and pilots. They are useful for learning, asset spot-checks, and proof of concept. For production monitoring across distributed sites with support, change management, and SIEM integration, most teams move to a commercial platform. A mix is normal: open tools for tactical work, a vendor product for continuous coverage.
