Cyber-Physical Security in Smart Grids: System Analysis and Control Design

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Power Electronics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 13968

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering "Antonio Ruberti" (DIAG), Sapienza University of Rome, Via Ariosto 25, 00185 Rome (RM), Italy
Interests: smart grids; cyber-physical systems; critical infrastructure protection
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Guest Editor
Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering "Antonio Ruberti" (DIAG), Sapienza University of Rome, Via Ariosto 25, 00185 Rome, RM, Italy
Interests: smart grids; electromobility; power systems stability and control; critical infrastructures protection

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research on cyber-physical security in the smart electricity grid has progressed significantly since the first works appeared in this field about a decade ago (e.g. research on false data injection attacks against state estimation routines). There is currently a growing understanding of the systemic and modelling aspects of cyber-physical security in smart electricity grids, as well as a large taxonomy of potential cyber-physical threats, attack models and defence strategies.

However, the picture is far from being complete: The proliferation of distributed energy resources, the increasing reliance on ICT technologies and the interconnection with other (critical) infrastructures make the smart grid more and more complex, and new sophisticated attack models conceivable and implementable, as also recent events testify. Furthermore, additional research efforts are needed to better understand the security implications of the interplay of the physical and cyber domains of the smart electricity grid.

In this context, the main aim of this Special Issue is to attract high-quality contributions addressing recent advancements in the field of cyber-physical security of the smart electricity grid.

The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • State of the art analysis of cyber-physical security in the smart electricity grid;
  • Modelling and system analysis aspects of cyber-physical security in the smart electricity grid;
  • Vulnerability and risk analysis;
  • Technologies and algorithms for prevention, detection, mitigation and recovery from cyber-physical attacks;
  • Resilient smart grid control architectures and algorithms;
  • Discussion of case studies and pilots on cyber-physical security in the smart electricity grid.

Dr. Francesco Liberati
Prof. Dr. Alessandro Di Giorgio
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 4123 KiB  
Article
Optimal Pitch Angle Controller for DFIG-Based Wind Turbine System Using Computational Optimization Techniques
by Arsalan Khurshid, Muhammad Ali Mughal, Achraf Othman, Tawfik Al-Hadhrami, Harish Kumar, Imtinan Khurshid, Arshad and Jawad Ahmad
Electronics 2022, 11(8), 1290; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11081290 - 18 Apr 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2469
Abstract
With the advent of high-speed and parallel computing, the applicability of computational optimization in engineering problems has increased, with greater validation than conventional methods. Pitch angle is an effective variable in extracting maximum wind power in a wind turbine system (WTS). The pitch [...] Read more.
With the advent of high-speed and parallel computing, the applicability of computational optimization in engineering problems has increased, with greater validation than conventional methods. Pitch angle is an effective variable in extracting maximum wind power in a wind turbine system (WTS). The pitch angle controller contributes to improve the output power at different wind speeds. In this paper, the pitch angle controller with proportional (P) and proportional-integral (PI) controllers is used. The parameters of the controllers are tuned by computational optimization techniques for a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG)-based WTS. The study is carried out on a 9 MW DFIG based WTS model in MATLAB/SIMULINK. Two computational optimization techniques: particle swarm optimization (PSO), a swarm intelligence algorithm, and a genetic algorithm (GA), an evolutionary algorithm, are applied. A multi-objective, multi-dimensional error function is defined and minimized by selecting an appropriate error criterion for each objective of the function which depicts the relative magnitude of each objective in the error function. The results of the output power flow and the dynamic response of the optimized P and PI controllers are compared with the conventional P and PI controller in three different cases. It is revealed that the PSO-based controllers performed better in comparison with both the conventional controllers and the GA-based controllers. Full article
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16 pages, 1605 KiB  
Article
Securing Publisher–Subscriber Smart Grid Infrastructure
by Fraser Orr, Muhammad Nouman Nafees, Neetesh Saxena and Bong Jun Choi
Electronics 2021, 10(19), 2355; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10192355 - 27 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2256
Abstract
The security of communication protocols in the smart grid system is a crucial concern. An adversary can exploit the lack of confidentiality and authentication mechanism to cause damaging consequences. In the substation automation systems that rely on multicast communication between various intelligent electronic [...] Read more.
The security of communication protocols in the smart grid system is a crucial concern. An adversary can exploit the lack of confidentiality and authentication mechanism to cause damaging consequences. In the substation automation systems that rely on multicast communication between various intelligent electronic devices, the lack of security features in the standard IEC61850 and IEC62351 can invite attackers to manipulate the integrity of the employed publisher–subscriber communication paradigm to their advantage. Consequently, many researchers have introduced various approaches offering authenticity and confidentiality. However, such schemes and methods for the aforesaid standards have computational limitations in compliance with the stringent timing requirements of specific applications in the smart grid. In this paper, we propose an approach that can fully secure the publisher–subscriber communication against confidentiality attacks. In this direction, we develop a demo tool to validate the performance of our proposed security approach for potential factors such as timing requirements and the size of the messages. Finally, we evaluate our scheme considering the requirements of the GOOSE, SMV, and MMS protocols in the substation automation systems. Full article
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Review

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39 pages, 1076 KiB  
Review
Review of Cyber-Physical Attacks in Smart Grids: A System-Theoretic Perspective
by Francesco Liberati, Emanuele Garone and Alessandro Di Giorgio
Electronics 2021, 10(10), 1153; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10101153 - 12 May 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3352
Abstract
This paper presents a review of technical works in the field of cyber-physical attacks on the smart grid. The paper starts by discussing two reference mathematical frameworks proposed in the literature to model a smart grid under attack. Then, a review of cyber-physical [...] Read more.
This paper presents a review of technical works in the field of cyber-physical attacks on the smart grid. The paper starts by discussing two reference mathematical frameworks proposed in the literature to model a smart grid under attack. Then, a review of cyber-physical attacks on the smart grid is presented, starting from works on false data injection attacks against state estimation. The aim is to present a systematic and quantitative discussion of the basic working principles of the attacks, also in terms of the inner smart grid vulnerabilities and dynamical properties exploited by the attack. The main contribution of the paper is the attempt to provide a unifying view, highlighting the fundamental aspects and the common working principles shared by the attack models, even when targeting different subsystems of the smart grid. Full article
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25 pages, 3549 KiB  
Review
A Comprehensive Survey on Cyber-Physical Smart Grid Testbed Architectures: Requirements and Challenges
by Abdallah A. Smadi, Babatunde Tobi Ajao, Brian K. Johnson, Hangtian Lei, Yacine Chakhchoukh and Qasem Abu Al-Haija
Electronics 2021, 10(9), 1043; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10091043 - 28 Apr 2021
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 4636
Abstract
The integration of improved control techniques with advanced information technologies enables the rapid development of smart grids. The necessity of having an efficient, reliable, and flexible communication infrastructure is achieved by enabling real-time data exchange between numerous intelligent and traditional electrical grid elements. [...] Read more.
The integration of improved control techniques with advanced information technologies enables the rapid development of smart grids. The necessity of having an efficient, reliable, and flexible communication infrastructure is achieved by enabling real-time data exchange between numerous intelligent and traditional electrical grid elements. The performance and efficiency of the power grid are enhanced with the incorporation of communication networks, intelligent automation, advanced sensors, and information technologies. Although smart grid technologies bring about valuable economic, social, and environmental benefits, testing the combination of heterogeneous and co-existing Cyber-Physical-Smart Grids (CP-SGs) with conventional technologies presents many challenges. The examination for both hardware and software components of the Smart Grid (SG) system is essential prior to the deployment in real-time systems. This can take place by developing a prototype to mimic the real operational circumstances with adequate configurations and precision. Therefore, it is essential to summarize state-of-the-art technologies of industrial control system testbeds and evaluate new technologies and vulnerabilities with the motivation of stimulating discoveries and designs. In this paper, a comprehensive review of the advancement of CP-SGs with their corresponding testbeds including diverse testing paradigms has been performed. In particular, we broadly discuss CP-SG testbed architectures along with the associated functions and main vulnerabilities. The testbed requirements, constraints, and applications are also discussed. Finally, the trends and future research directions are highlighted and specified. Full article
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