Legacy power grids were typically designed with reliability as the main goal. With the transition to the smart grid, security concerns have begun to arise; due to the computational and communication capabilities of the integrated elements, smart grid technologies are becoming vulnerable to cyber-attacks. This chapter aims to enumerate existing threat vectors in the various layers of smart-grid architecture and provide insights of how security techniques should be implemented in order to ensure smart grid resiliency.

Chapter Contents:

• 15.1 Introduction
• 15.2 Nature of threats
• 15.3 Attacking the smart grid
• 15.3.1 Operation layer
• 15.3.2 Network layer
• 15.3.3 Software layer
• 15.3.4 Hardware layer
• 15.4 Smart-grid security enhancement
• 15.4.1 Policies and standards
• 15.4.2 Multilayer protection for smart grid
• 15.4.3 Security assessment environment
• 15.5 Case study
• 15.6 Future cyber security considerations
• 15.7 Conclusions
• Appendix - Glossary
• References

Inspec keywords: smart power grids; power system security; power system simulation; power system reliability

Other keywords: cyber-attacks; reliability; power grids; security analysis; smart-grid architecture

Subjects: Power system protection; Power systems; Reliability