In many current electricity markets, however, the growing number of players such as generation companies and distribution companies increase the difficulty of intranet communications, and the number of vulnerable communication links. The rise of distributed renewable power generation increases the amount of communication equipment, making such generation systems inherently more vulnerable to cyber-attacks.Įlectricity market: In the traditional monopoly market model, generation and transmission networks were mostly owned by the same company, therefore their communications were conducted through a relatively secure intranet. Unlike traditional power stations, renewable power plants rely on energy sources at very distributed locations.įor example, solar collectors are generally located around buildings or on rooftops, while bioenergy depends on specific environments such as farms. This situation is becoming more frequent due to the rising number of renewable power plants. Such attacks can also target and destroy the power balance between supply-side and demand-side. This type of attack can cause a device to act at the wrong time or simply not at all. Generation systems: Attackers invade generation systems to create chaos during equipment operation. The well-documented Ukrainian blackout in 2015 is one example of this type of attack. In addition, attackers may even seize control of SCADA networks, causing devastating failures throughout the power grid. By invading SCADA systems, attackers are able to alter the distribution of power flow and affect system state estimation. The SCADA systems they use communicate with all other domains, so attacks on them can cause severe consequences. Operations: Grid operations infrastructures, which maintain complicated networks of communications devices, pose the greatest risk. Tesla-hack: 19-year-old remotely controls around 25 vehicles Specifically, this challenge affects four key areas: The explosive growth in communications equipment supporting power grid infrastructures, together with the number of various stakeholders in the electricity markets, are the main reasons for this growing cyber security challenge. However, the communications aspect also opens up vulnerability to cyber-attack. A field device or sensor with an analog output is one example of a physical component, while a remote terminal unit (RTU) that connects with such sensors and provides onwards communications is generally considered as a cyber component.Īs physical components - power components and other devices - are now being integrated into CPSs, they are becoming visible and controllable, with many implications for improved efficiency and predictive maintenance. The remaining parts that interact with the physical world via communication media are cyber components. The physical components are the parts of the system that directly connect to the physical world. A CPS can be viewed as the integration of two component types: cyber and physical. Cyber-physical systems and vulnerabilitiesĪn IEEE document titled ‘A Survey on Power Grid Cyber Security: From Component-Wise Vulnerability Assessment to System-Wide Impact Analysis’ considers smart grids to contain the largest cyber-physical systems (CPSs) in the world. Nevertheless, operational threats do exist, and their effect if successful can be catastrophic. They’re going after data, they’re going after intellectual property”. Lila Kee, general manager for GlobalSign’s North and South American operations comments “Attackers are getting smarter and as we move OT online the threat surface will be wider, but what these hackers are doing is espionage. Not all attacks are about sabotaging a power grid’s operational capability. bulk power system, but when asked if a sophisticated hacker has the capability to crash the grid she replied soberly, “Yeah, they do.” There are mandatory security requirements and high levels of redundancy built into the U.S. Granholm was discussing President Joe Biden’s push to better secure the utility sector, which faces a growing threat from ransomware and attacks on operational technology. power grid, and “there are very malign actors trying, even as we speak.”Īs power electronics comes online, cyber-attack risk increases And the trend continues: In June 2021, the US DoE Secretary Jennifer Granholm told CNN that enemies of the United States have the capability to shut down the U.S. Motives include geopolitics, sabotage, and financial reasons. According to French think-tank Institut Français des Relations Internationals (IFRI), the power sector has become a prime target for cyber-criminals in the last decade, with cyberattacks surging by 380 % between 20.
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