The SCADA control systems are not new. They have been around since the late 90s. They are used to connect the central computer system or the supervisory computers to a series of networked remote computers or the terminal units.
Traditionally, these computer networks are connected, on a closed network. But recently, the engineers have started using the open-sourced network or TCIP/IP enabled networks to connect which, leaves them vulnerable to the cyber attack.
One of the main risks of running SCADA on an IP network is the possibility of a cyberattack on the corporate network, which will directly lead the hacker to access the SCADA network.