The SCADA Problem

The newly published CISA directive mandates zero-trust architecture across all critical SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems by 2028. While a critical goal for national security, the timeline ignores the fundamental reality of legacy hardware.

Many municipal and regional energy grids rely on controllers manufactured in the late 90s, where network isolation is not natively supported without complete replacement.

The Proposal

This analysis breaks down the true cost of the mandate across 350 regional utility districts. The core issue is the gap between policy timelines and physical supply chains for industrial controllers.

Public Comment Submitted

"The zero-trust mandate, while necessary, requires a tiered compliance rollout based on hardware vintage. A flat 2028 deadline will result in widespread non-compliance simply due to supply chain constraints in industrial control systems."