Using logical error detection in software controlling Remote-Terminal Units to predict Critical Information

Abstract. A method for predicting software failures to critical information in-frastructures is presented in this paper. Software failures in critical infrastruc-tures can stem from logical errors in the source code which manipulates con-trollers that handle machinery; i.e. Remote Terminal Units and Programmable Logic Controllers in SCADA systems. Since these controllers are often respon-sible for handling hardware in critical infrastructures, detecting such logical er-rors in the software controlling their functionality implies detecting possible failures in the machine itself and, consequently, predicting single or cascading infrastructure failures. Our method may also be tweaked to provide estimates of the impact and likelihood of each detected error. An existing source code analy-sis method is adjusted to analyze code able to send commands to SCADA sys-tems. A practical implementation of the method is presented and discussed. Ex-amples are given using open-source SCADA operating interfaces.