What is a common risk associated with rogue OPC servers?

Rogue OPC (OLE for Process Control) servers pose significant security risks in industrial control systems, primarily because they can introduce unauthorized access to critical data and processes. One of the most concerning risks associated with these rogue servers is the potential for Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. A rogue server can overwhelm legitimate systems by flooding them with requests or by improperly managing data, which could disrupt operations and availability of services.

This risk is particularly critical in industrial environments where uptime is essential, and any disruption can lead to significant operational and financial impacts. By manipulating or overloading a network with excessive traffic or malformed requests, attackers can cause legitimate users and applications to be unable to access the necessary data or control functions, effectively paralyzing the operational capabilities of the industrial control system.

In contrast, the other options do not align with the primary risks posed by rogue OPC servers. Maintenance avoidance generally pertains to organizational practices rather than the specific security risks of rogue servers. Data synchronization, while a concern in normal operations, does not specifically highlight the operational impact associated with rogue servers. Increased system performance is generally a desirable outcome, but rogue servers usually degrade rather than enhance system performance due to malicious or misconfigured settings.