Cyber–physical security for on-going smart grid initiatives: a survey

• Published in: IET Cyber-Physical Systems: Theory & Applications Vol. 5; no. 3; pp. 233 - 244
• Main Authors: Hossain, Md Musabbir, Peng, Chen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Southampton The Institution of Engineering and Technology 01.09.2020; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Automation; bi-directional communication technologies; Communication; complex networks; coordinated cyber–physical attacks; Critical infrastructure; cyber–physical interdependency; cyber–physical security; Electricity; Electricity distribution; Energy consumption; Infrastructure; physical systems; power engineering computing; power system reliability; power system security; Review Article; Security; security of data; Security systems; Smart grid; smart grid initiatives; Smart meters; smart power grid; smart power grids; Software; wide-area communication infrastructures; United States > US; Ukraine; bi-directional communication technologies; cyber–physical interdependency; physical systems; smart power grids; complex networks; power engineering computing; smart power grid; power system security; cyber–physical security; security of data; power system reliability; coordinated cyber–physical attacks; wide-area communication infrastructures; smart grid initiatives
• ISSN: 2398-3396; 2398-3396
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-cps.2019.0039

The smart grid is an upgraded concept of electricity network with tight coupling among information, control, and bi-directional communication technologies. Along with the silent features of the on-going smart grid, cyber–physical security appears to be a deep concern due to its significant dependence on sensing technologies, complex networks of computers, intelligence, and wide-area communication infrastructures. Moreover, the smart grid is an extensive critical infrastructure and vulnerable to coordinated cyber–physical attacks. As a result, cyber–physical attacks cause significant threats to the confidentiality and integrity of the power data, including power outages, cascading failures, and unnecessary expenditure. In this study, security issues of smart grid, including cyber–physical interdependency, attack varieties, detection methods, requirements, standards, challenges, and future prospects, are taken into consideration for both cyber and physical systems, aiming to provide an extensive understanding of vulnerabilities and solutions for the smart power grid. By revealing the inherent features of cyber–physical security in the smart grid, this survey study is addressed to facilitate future research in these two areas.