Degree Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2013
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
First Advisor
Manimaran Govindarasu
Abstract
While smart grid technologies are deployed to help achieve improved grid resiliency
and efficiency, they also present an increased dependency on cyber resources which may
be vulnerable to attack. This dissertation introduces three components that provide new
methods to enhancing the cyber security of the smart grid.
First, a quantitative exposure analysis model is presented to assess risks inherited
from the communication and computation of critical information. An attack exposure
metric is then presented to provide a quantitative means to analyze the model. The
metric's utility is then demonstrated by analyzing smart grid environments to contrast
the effectiveness of various protection mechanisms and to evaluate the impact of new
cyber vulnerabilities.
Second, a model-based intrusion detection system is introduced to identify attacks
against electric grid substations. The system expands previous research to incorporate
temporal and spatial analysis of substation control events in order to differentiate attacks
from normal communications. This method also incorporates a hierarchical detection
approach to improve correlation of physical system events and identify sophisticated
coordinated attacks.
Finally, the PowerCyber testbed is introduced as an accurate cyber-physical envi-
ronment to help facilitate future smart grid cyber security research needs. The testbed
implements a layered approach of control, communication, and power system layers while
incorporating both industry standard components along with simulation and emulation
techniques. The testbed's efficacy is then evaluated by performing various cyber attacks
and exploring their impact on physical grid simulations.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31274/etd-180810-3239
Copyright Owner
Adam Hahn
Copyright Date
2013
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
File Size
139 pages
Recommended Citation
Hahn, Adam, "Cyber security of the smart grid: Attack exposure analysis, detection algorithms, and testbed evaluation" (2013). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 13098.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/13098
