The modern electric grid is a cyber-physical system that increasingly depends on a variety of sensors, control systems, and communication networks for the purpose of monitoring, protection, and control. The increased attack surface presented by the cyber components provides adversaries with ample opportunities to perform coordinated cyber attacks on the power grid. These attacks have been recognized as High-Impact Low-Frequency events by the North American Reliability Corporation (NERC). The attacks when smartly structured, can significantly affect the power infrastructure?s security and adequacy.
This project will develop a comprehensive cyber security framework, with associated algorithms and analytical methods, to protect the power grid against coordinated cyber attacks. This includes: (i) the development of innovative risk models that capture cyber vulnerabilities as well as the resulting consequences in the grid, due to successful attacks, in terms of and system adequacy and instability; (ii) the development of novel system resiliency algorithms leveraging synergy between domain-specific anomaly detection and power system mitigation strategies; (iii) testbed-based security evaluations to quantify the risks and evaluate the effectiveness of resiliency algorithms under plausible and sophisticated attack scenarios. The outcome of this research will significantly advance power system planning to design the future grid beyond the traditional (N-1) contingency criteria, which requires resiliency with the loss of any single component. The results will also lay a solid scientific foundation to model, analyze, and mitigate coordinated cyber attacks against critical infrastructure systems. The project will develop a novel curriculum that includes offering a new course in cyber security of smart grid and engaging undergraduate students, with emphasis on underrepresented minorities, in testbed design and cyber-defense competition. The outreach activities will include promoting cyber security research and education in professional conferences and exposing students to cyber security issues by leveraging university outreach program. This project outcome will make broader impacts in securing nation?s power grid against cyber attacks and contributing to the development of a highly skilled workforce in this critical area of national need.
