Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, the linchpin of modern critical infrastructure spanning power grids, water treatment facilities, oil and gas pipelines, and transportation networks, are increasingly vulnerable to sophisticated cyberattacks. Characterized by their unique operational demands, including real-time control, legacy hardware, and distributed architectures, SCADA systems pose significant security challenges that traditional IT security approaches are ill-equipped to address [1]. This paper presents a novel, efficient key management and multilayered security framework tailored specifically for the protection of SCADA systems against advanced cyber threats. The cornerstone of our approach is a key management scheme based on Attribute-Based Encryption (ABE), which enables fine-grained, policy-driven access control, facilitating dynamic key updates and minimizing computational and communication overhead—critical for maintaining real-time operational efficiency in SCADA environments. This ABE-based scheme ensures that access to sensitive control data is granted based on attributes rather than static identities, offering enhanced flexibility and security in dynamic, attribute-rich SCADA environments.

The proposed multilayered security architecture integrates a robust defense-in-depth strategy, encompassing network segmentation, intrusion detection systems tailored for industrial protocols, application-level security, and real-time monitoring to provide comprehensive protection against a broad spectrum of cyber threats. Network segmentation isolates critical components and control zones, limiting the lateral movement of attackers and containing the impact of potential breaches. Intrusion detection systems, customized for SCADA-specific protocols such as Modbus and DNP3, identify anomalous activities and deviations from normal operating parameters in real-time, enabling proactive threat mitigation [2]. Application-level security reinforces the integrity and confidentiality of control data through encryption and authentication mechanisms, while real-time monitoring and incident response systems facilitate rapid detection and containment of security incidents, minimizing downtime and potential damage to critical infrastructure.

We evaluate the proposed framework through detailed simulations and performance analysis, employing realistic SCADA network topologies and attack scenarios. The results demonstrate that our approach significantly enhances key management efficiency, reduces latency, and strengthens the overall security posture of SCADA deployments. Specifically, the ABE-based key management scheme achieves significant reductions in key distribution overhead and computational complexity compared to traditional key management approaches. The multilayered security architecture effectively detects and mitigates a wide range of cyber threats, including man-in-the-middle attacks, denial-of-service attacks, and sophisticated malware, with minimal impact on real-time operational performance. By addressing critical security gaps and providing a robust, scalable, and efficient security solution, this framework paves the way for more secure and reliable industrial control systems, ensuring the continuity and safety of essential services and critical infrastructure [3].