Treatment Plant and Distribution SCADA Path Control

Water treatment and distribution systems directly affect public health. When control systems are compromised, attackers can alter chemical dosing, disrupt supply, or contaminate drinking water for entire populations.

Key threats addressed

Overview

A real boundary between corporate IT and the chemistry of public water.

Water infrastructure presents attackers with the opportunity for catastrophic physical harm. Firevault Control uses physical isolation to render treatment SCADA, dosing controllers and distribution telemetry unreachable from corporate IT and the wider internet. Fast to deploy, non-disruptive, and fully aligned to NIS2, DWI and Ofwat expectations, with immutable evidence ready for audit.

100%

Treatment SCADA isolation from corporate IT

Zero

Persistent remote access to dosing systems

5

Operational zones with independent governance

Full

NIS2 and DWI compliance evidence

"The historian server was our biggest vulnerability. It sat on both the IT and OT networks because the business needed water quality data in their dashboards. It was the bridge that gave attackers a direct path from email to the chlorine dosing system."

Where each module is deployed, and what it does there.

One row per module. Placement on the network, then plain-English purpose at that point.

1. Isolate

   At every Purdue boundary

   Office, telemetry, treatment and distribution sit on separate physical fabrics. A compromise on the corporate side cannot reach the plants.

2. Firebreak

   On the L5 to L4 link and the L4 to L3.5 link

   A real hardware off switch on the public and office boundaries, cutting the live path between corporate and the treatment plants.

3. Validate

   On the L5 to L4 link and inside the L3.5 DMZ

   Before any reading or request reaches operations, Validate checks its origin and integrity. A spoofed telemetry value does not become a chemical dose.

4. Relay

   Inside the L3.5 DMZ

   Sensor and pump data flows into SCADA on a scheduled, controlled route. Outside that route, telemetry cannot reach into control.

5. Execute

   On the L2 to L1 link

   Cross-plant actions need the right approval and the right state. Single clicks do not move treatment kit.

6. Lock

   On the L1 to L0 link

   Field devices tie to named engineers, the right device and the right authority.

Sovereign Water Data

All treatment and distribution control data remains within the agreed jurisdiction in secured Firevault Bunkers, meeting Ofwat and DWI requirements.

Multi-Party Process Control

Changes to treatment parameters require authorisation from both operations and water quality teams, preventing unilateral modifications.

DWI and NIS2 Evidence

Automated compliance logging maps directly to Drinking Water Inspectorate requirements and NIS2 Article 21 outcomes for water companies.

Cellular SCADA Failover

Out-of-band management via cellular connectivity ensures control over treatment systems independent of primary communications infrastructure.

Process Change Audit

Every dosing parameter change, valve operation, and access authorisation is recorded in tamper-proof logs for DWI and regulatory audit.

Safe State Recovery

Verified baselines of treatment configuration enable rapid restoration to known-safe operating parameters during compromise scenarios.

Water Network Assessment

Map all network paths between corporate IT, treatment SCADA, distribution SCADA, water quality systems, and remote pumping stations.

Treatment Zone Design

Design physically separated zones for treatment, distribution, quality monitoring, and corporate systems with Control modules at each boundary.

Single Works Pilot

Deploy at one treatment works with full SCADA isolation, multi-party process authorisation, and compliance logging to validate operational procedures.

Company-Wide Deployment

Phased deployment across all treatment works and pumping stations with verified configuration baselines, continuous compliance evidence, and cellular management.