Energies

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3 pages, 163 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Cybersecurity in Smart Grids

by Taha Selim Ustun

Energies 2022, 15(15), 5458; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15155458 - 28 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1047

Abstract

The increasing use of communication in power-system operation and control is a double-edged sword [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

Research

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20 pages, 556 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cybersecurity Considerations for Grid-Connected Batteries with Hardware Demonstrations

by Megan Culler and Hannah Burroughs

Energies 2021, 14(11), 3067; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14113067 - 25 May 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3110

Abstract

The share of renewable and distributed energy resources (DERs), like wind turbines, solar photovoltaics and grid-connected batteries, interconnected to the electric grid is rapidly increasing due to reduced costs, rising efficiency, and regulatory requirements aimed at incentivizing a lower-carbon electricity system. These distributed [...] Read more.

The share of renewable and distributed energy resources (DERs), like wind turbines, solar photovoltaics and grid-connected batteries, interconnected to the electric grid is rapidly increasing due to reduced costs, rising efficiency, and regulatory requirements aimed at incentivizing a lower-carbon electricity system. These distributed energy resources differ from traditional generation in many ways including the use of many smaller devices connected primarily (but not exclusively) to the distribution network, rather than few larger devices connected to the transmission network. DERs being installed today often include modern communication hardware like cellular modems and WiFi connectivity and, in addition, the inverters used to connect these resources to the grid are gaining increasingly complex capabilities, like providing voltage and frequency support or supporting microgrids. To perform these new functions safely, communications to the device and more complex controls are required. The distributed nature of DER devices combined with their network connectivity and complex controls interfaces present a larger potential attack surface for adversaries looking to create instability in power systems. To address this area of concern, the steps of a cyberattack on DERs have been studied, including the security of industrial protocols, the misuse of the DER interface, and the physical impacts. These different steps have not previously been tied together in practice and not specifically studied for grid-connected storage devices. In this work, we focus on grid-connected batteries. We explore the potential impacts of a cyberattack on a battery to power system stability, to the battery hardware, and on economics for various stakeholders. We then use real hardware to demonstrate end-to-end attack paths exist when security features are disabled or misconfigured. Our experimental focus is on control interface security and protocol security, with the initial assumption that an adversary has gained access to the network to which the device is connected. We provide real examples of the effectiveness of certain defenses. This work can be used to help utilities and other grid-connected battery owners and operators evaluate the severity of different threats and the effectiveness of defense strategies so they can effectively deploy and protect grid-connected storage devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

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27 pages, 1014 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Detection of DoS Attacks Using ARFIMA Modeling of GOOSE Communication in IEC 61850 Substations

by Ghada Elbez, Hubert B. Keller, Atul Bohara, Klara Nahrstedt and Veit Hagenmeyer

Energies 2020, 13(19), 5176; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13195176 - 05 Oct 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2079

Abstract

Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in modern smart grids (SGs) offers many advantages including the use of renewables and an effective way to protect, control and monitor the energy transmission and distribution. To reach an optimal operation of future energy systems, [...] Read more.

Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in modern smart grids (SGs) offers many advantages including the use of renewables and an effective way to protect, control and monitor the energy transmission and distribution. To reach an optimal operation of future energy systems, availability, integrity and confidentiality of data should be guaranteed. Research on the cyber-physical security of electrical substations based on IEC 61850 is still at an early stage. In the present work, we first model the network traffic data in electrical substations, then, we present a statistical Anomaly Detection (AD) method to detect Denial of Service (DoS) attacks against the Generic Object Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE) network communication. According to interpretations on the self-similarity and the Long-Range Dependency (LRD) of the data, an Auto-Regressive Fractionally Integrated Moving Average (ARFIMA) model was shown to describe well the GOOSE communication in the substation process network. Based on this ARFIMA-model and in view of cyber-physical security, an effective model-based AD method is developed and analyzed. Two variants of the statistical AD considering statistical hypothesis testing based on the Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT) and the cumulative sum (CUSUM) are presented to detect flooding attacks that might affect the availability of the data. Our work presents a novel AD method, with two different variants, tailored to the specific features of the GOOSE traffic in IEC 61850 substations. The statistical AD is capable of detecting anomalies at unknown change times under the realistic assumption of unknown model parameters. The performance of both variants of the AD method is validated and assessed using data collected from a simulation case study. We perform several Monte-Carlo simulations under different noise variances. The detection delay is provided for each detector and it represents the number of discrete time samples after which an anomaly is detected. In fact, our statistical AD method with both variants (CUSUM and GLRT) has around half the false positive rate and a smaller detection delay when compared with two of the closest works found in the literature. Our AD approach based on the GLRT detector has the smallest false positive rate among all considered approaches. Whereas, our AD approach based on the CUSUM test has the lowest false negative rate thus the best detection rate. Depending on the requirements as well as the costs of false alarms or missed anomalies, both variants of our statistical detection method can be used and are further analyzed using composite detection metrics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

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24 pages, 5236 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Approach to Detecting Cyber Attacks against Smart Power Grids Based on the Analysis of Network Traffic Self-Similarity

by Igor Kotenko, Igor Saenko, Oleg Lauta and Aleksander Kribel

Energies 2020, 13(19), 5031; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13195031 - 24 Sep 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2162

Abstract

The paper discusses an approach for detecting cyber attacks against smart power supply networks, based on identifying anomalies in network traffic by assessing its self-similarity property. Methods for identifying long-term dependence in fractal Brownian motion and real network traffic of smart grid systems [...] Read more.

The paper discusses an approach for detecting cyber attacks against smart power supply networks, based on identifying anomalies in network traffic by assessing its self-similarity property. Methods for identifying long-term dependence in fractal Brownian motion and real network traffic of smart grid systems are considered. It is shown that the traffic of a telecommunication network is a self-similar structure, and its behavior is close to fractal Brownian motion. Fractal analysis and mathematical statistics are used as tools in the development of this approach. The issues of a software implementation of the proposed approach and the formation of a dataset containing network packets of smart grid systems are considered. The experimental results obtained using the generated dataset have demonstrated the existence of self-similarity in the network traffic of smart grid systems and confirmed the fair efficiency of the proposed approach. The proposed approach can be used to quickly detect the presence of anomalies in the traffic with the aim of further using other methods of cyber attack detection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

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17 pages, 1445 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of SMiShing Attack on Security of Demand Response Programs

by Elif Ustundag Soykan and Mustafa Bagriyanik

Energies 2020, 13(17), 4542; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13174542 - 02 Sep 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3417

Abstract

Demand response (DR) is a vital element for a reliable and sustainable power grid. Consumer behavior is a key factor in the success of DR programs. In this study, we focus on how consumer reaction to Short Messaging Service (SMS) messages can disturb [...] Read more.

Demand response (DR) is a vital element for a reliable and sustainable power grid. Consumer behavior is a key factor in the success of DR programs. In this study, we focus on how consumer reaction to Short Messaging Service (SMS) messages can disturb the demand response. We present a new type of threat to DR programs using SMS phishing attacks. We follow a holistic approach starting from a risk assessment focusing on DR programs’ notification message security following the Smart Grid Information Security (SGIS) risk methodology. We identify threats, conduct impact analysis, and estimate the likelihood of the attacks for various attacker types and motivations. We implemented deterministic and randomized attack scenarios to demonstrate the success of the attack using a state-of-the-art simulator on the IEEE European Low Voltage Feeder Test System. Simulations show that the attack results in local outages, which may lead to large-scale blackouts with the cascading effect on the power system. We conclude that this is a new type of threat that has been overlooked, and it deserves more attention as mobile devices will continually be part of our lives. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

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14 pages, 6848 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Secure Communication Modeling for Microgrid Energy Management System: Development and Application

by Taha Selim Ustun and S. M. Suhail Hussain

Energies 2020, 13(1), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13010068 - 21 Dec 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2570

Abstract

As the number of active components increase, distribution networks become harder to control. Microgrids are proposed to divide large networks into smaller, more manageable portions. The benefits of using microgrids are multiple; the cost of installation is significantly smaller and renewable energy-based generators [...] Read more.

As the number of active components increase, distribution networks become harder to control. Microgrids are proposed to divide large networks into smaller, more manageable portions. The benefits of using microgrids are multiple; the cost of installation is significantly smaller and renewable energy-based generators can be utilized at a small scale. Due to the intermittent and time dependent nature of renewables, to ensure reliable and continuous supply of energy, it is imperative to create a system that has several generators and storage systems. The way to achieve this is through an energy management system (EMS) that can coordinate all these generators with a storage system. Prior to on-site installation, validation studies should be performed on such controllers. This work presents a standardized communication modeling based on IEC 61850 that is developed for a commercial microgrid controller. Using commercial software, different terminals are set up as intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) and the operation of the EMS is emulated with proper message exchanges. Considering that these messages transmit sensitive information, such as financial transactions or dispatch instructions, securing them against cyber-attacks is very important. Therefore; message integrity, node authentication, and confidentiality features are also implemented according to IEC 62351 guidelines. Real-message exchanges are captured with and without these security features to validate secure operation of standard communication solution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

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16 pages, 890 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Secure and Anonymous Metering Scheme for Smart Grid Communications

by Shaohao Xie, Fangguo Zhang, Huizhi Lin and Yangtong Tian

Energies 2019, 12(24), 4751; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12244751 - 12 Dec 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2395

Abstract

The smart meter is one of the most important components of the smart grid, which enables bi-directional communication between electric power providers and in-home appliances. However, the fine-grained metering mechanism that reports real-time electricity usage to the provider may result in some privacy [...] Read more.

The smart meter is one of the most important components of the smart grid, which enables bi-directional communication between electric power providers and in-home appliances. However, the fine-grained metering mechanism that reports real-time electricity usage to the provider may result in some privacy and security issues for the owner of the smart meter. In this paper, we propose a new secure and anonymous smart metering scheme based on the technique of direct anonymous attestation and identity-based signatures. We utilize the trusted platform module to realize the tamper resistance of the smart meter. Moreover, our scheme is able to detect malfunctioning meters in which data is reported more than once in a time period. Finally, the performance and security results show that our proposed scheme is efficient and satisfies the security requirements of the smart grid communication system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

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18 pages, 3029 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electricity Theft Detection in Smart Grid Systems: A CNN-LSTM Based Approach

by Md. Nazmul Hasan, Rafia Nishat Toma, Abdullah-Al Nahid, M M Manjurul Islam and Jong-Myon Kim

Energies 2019, 12(17), 3310; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12173310 - 28 Aug 2019

Cited by 237 | Viewed by 13555

Abstract

Among an electricity provider’s non-technical losses, electricity theft has the most severe and dangerous effects. Fraudulent electricity consumption decreases the supply quality, increases generation load, causes legitimate consumers to pay excessive electricity bills, and affects the overall economy. The adaptation of smart grids [...] Read more.

Among an electricity provider’s non-technical losses, electricity theft has the most severe and dangerous effects. Fraudulent electricity consumption decreases the supply quality, increases generation load, causes legitimate consumers to pay excessive electricity bills, and affects the overall economy. The adaptation of smart grids can significantly reduce this loss through data analysis techniques. The smart grid infrastructure generates a massive amount of data, including the power consumption of individual users. Utilizing this data, machine learning and deep learning techniques can accurately identify electricity theft users. In this paper, an electricity theft detection system is proposed based on a combination of a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a long short-term memory (LSTM) architecture. CNN is a widely used technique that automates feature extraction and the classification process. Since the power consumption signature is time-series data, we were led to build a CNN-based LSTM (CNN-LSTM) model for smart grid data classification. In this work, a novel data pre-processing algorithm was also implemented to compute the missing instances in the dataset, based on the local values relative to the missing data point. Furthermore, in this dataset, the count of electricity theft users was relatively low, which could have made the model inefficient at identifying theft users. This class imbalance scenario was addressed through synthetic data generation. Finally, the results obtained indicate the proposed scheme can classify both the majority class (normal users) and the minority class (electricity theft users) with good accuracy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

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24 pages, 3590 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

T²S²G: A Novel Two-Tier Secure Smart Grid Architecture to Protect Network Measurements

by Israa T. Aziz, Hai Jin, Ihsan H. Abdulqadder, Sabah M. Alturfi, Wisam H. Alobaidi and Firas M.F. Flaih

Energies 2019, 12(13), 2555; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12132555 - 03 Jul 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2628

Abstract

False data injection (FDI) attacks are a major security threat to smart grid (SG) communication systems. In FDI attacks, the attacker has the ability of modifying the measurements transmitted by smart grid entities such as smart meters, buses, etc. Many solutions have been [...] Read more.

False data injection (FDI) attacks are a major security threat to smart grid (SG) communication systems. In FDI attacks, the attacker has the ability of modifying the measurements transmitted by smart grid entities such as smart meters, buses, etc. Many solutions have been proposed to mitigate FDI attacks in the SG. However, most of these solutions rely on centralized state estimation (SE), which is computationally expensive. To engulf this problem in FDI attack detection and to improve security of SGs, this paper proposes novel two-tier secure smart grid (T²S²G) architecture with distributed SE. In T²S²G, measurement collection and SE are involved in first tier while compromised meter detection is involved in second tier. Initially the overall SG system is divided into four sections by the weighted quad tree (WQT) method. Each section is provided with an aggregator, which is responsible to perform SE. Measurements from power grids are collected by remote terminal units (RTUs) and encrypted using a parallel enhanced elliptic curve cryptography (PEECC) algorithm. Then the measurements are transmitted to the corresponding aggregator. Upon collected measurements, aggregator estimates state using the amended particle swarm optimization (APSO) algorithm in a distributed manner. To verify authenticity of aggregators, each aggregator is authenticated by a logical schedule based authentication (LSA) scheme at the control server (CS). In the CS, fuzzy with a neural network (FNN) algorithm is employed for measurements classification. Our proposed T²S²G shows promising results in the following performance metrics: Estimation error, number of protected measurements, detection probability, successful detection rate, and detection delay. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

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13 pages, 8815 KiB

Open AccessArticle

S-GoSV: Framework for Generating Secure IEC 61850 GOOSE and Sample Value Messages

by Shaik Mullapathi Farooq, S.M. Suhail Hussain and Taha Selim Ustun

Energies 2019, 12(13), 2536; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12132536 - 01 Jul 2019

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5392

Abstract

Standardized communication plays an important role in substation automation system (SAS). IEC 61850 is a de-facto standard in SAS. It facilitates smooth communication between different devices located in the substation by achieving interoperability. Generic Object-Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE) and Sample Value (SV) messages [...] Read more.

Standardized communication plays an important role in substation automation system (SAS). IEC 61850 is a de-facto standard in SAS. It facilitates smooth communication between different devices located in the substation by achieving interoperability. Generic Object-Oriented Substation Event (GOOSE) and Sample Value (SV) messages developed according to IEC 61850 enable efficient monitoring and operation control of SAS. IEC 61850 is very popular due to its flexible and robust modeling. As the number of critical infrastructures that employed IEC 61850 increases, it is important to study cybersecurity aspects as well. To this end, this paper develops a software framework, S-GoSV (Secure GOOSE and SV), that generates custom GOOSE and Sample Value messages. Furthermore, security features are added to protect them from different security attacks within a substation. IEC 62351-6 specifies digital signatures to achieve node authentication and messages integrity. Therefore, S-GoSV implements RSASSA-PKCS1-v1_5 digital signature algorithm based on RFC 2313. Performance studies show that digital signature algorithms based on RSA signing and verification take long times and do not conform to timing requirements stipulated by IEC 61850 for power system communication. To address this, Message Authentication Code (MAC) based digital signature algorithm, Keyed Hash-Message Authentication Code- Secure Hash Algorithm (HMAC-SHA256), is additionally implemented in S-GoSV framework for securing GOOSE messages. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

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20 pages, 3284 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Virtual Power Plant Management in Smart Grids with XMPP Based IEC 61850 Communication

by Furquan Nadeem, Mohd Asim Aftab, S.M. Suhail Hussain, Ikbal Ali, Prashant Kumar Tiwari, Arup Kumar Goswami and Taha Selim Ustun

Energies 2019, 12(12), 2398; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12122398 - 21 Jun 2019

Cited by 46 | Viewed by 5025

Abstract

Communication plays a key role in the effective management of virtual power plants (VPPs). For effective and stable operation of VPPs, a reliable, secure, and standardized communication infrastructure is required. In the literature, efforts were made to develop this based on industry standards, [...] Read more.

Communication plays a key role in the effective management of virtual power plants (VPPs). For effective and stable operation of VPPs, a reliable, secure, and standardized communication infrastructure is required. In the literature, efforts were made to develop this based on industry standards, such as the IEC 60870-5-104, OpenADR 2.0b and IEC 61850. Due to its global acceptance and strong object-oriented information models, IEC 61850 standard-based communication is preferred for smart grid operations, including VPPs. However, communication models based on IEC 61850 present cybersecurity and scalability challenges. To address this issue, this paper presents an eXtensible Message Presence Protocol (XMPP)-based IEC 61850 communication for VPPs. Firstly, a full mapping of IEC 61850 messages for VPP energy management is carried out. Secondly, XMPP-based single- and multiple-domain communications are demonstrated. Finally, a federation concept has been added to facilitate communication in multi-domain communication networks. These models show that a standard communication model can be implemented with IEC 61850 and XMPP, not only for VPPs but other wide-area communication implementations in smart grids. This not only facilitates plug-and-play (PnP) with easy component additions but secures smart grid communication against cyber-attacks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

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Review

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36 pages, 4398 KiB

Open AccessReview

Enhancing Cybersecurity in Smart Grids: False Data Injection and Its Mitigation

by Derya Betul Unsal, Taha Selim Ustun, S. M. Suhail Hussain and Ahmet Onen

Energies 2021, 14(9), 2657; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092657 - 06 May 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4666

Abstract

Integration of information technologies with power systems has unlocked unprecedented opportunities in optimization and control fields. Increased data collection and monitoring enable control systems to have a better understanding of the pseudo-real-time condition of power systems. In this fashion, more accurate and effective [...] Read more.

Integration of information technologies with power systems has unlocked unprecedented opportunities in optimization and control fields. Increased data collection and monitoring enable control systems to have a better understanding of the pseudo-real-time condition of power systems. In this fashion, more accurate and effective decisions can be made. This is the key towards mitigating negative impacts of novel technologies such as renewables and electric vehicles and increasing their share in the overall generation portfolio. However, such extensive information exchange has created cybersecurity vulnerabilities in power systems that were not encountered before. It is imperative that these vulnerabilities are understood well, and proper mitigation techniques are implemented. This paper presents an extensive study of cybersecurity concerns in Smart grids in line with latest developments. Relevant standardization and mitigation efforts are discussed in detail and then the classification of different cyber-attacks in smart grid domain with special focus on false data injection (FDI) attack, due to its high impact on different operations. Different uses of this attack as well as developed detection models and methods are analysed. Finally, impacts on smart grid operation and current challenges are presented for future research directions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cybersecurity in Smartgrids)

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