Mitigating the Risk of Cyber Attack on Smart Grid Systems

Abstract

Smart Grid technologies are being developed to upgrade the power grid with networked metrology and controls that can improve efficiency and provide new methods to manage the system. While these technologies offer great benefits, they also introduce new classes of risk, most notably creating new attack vectors that can be exploited by cyber attack. To assess and address risks in cyber-physical systems like these, the system designer's toolset needs to include concepts drawn from cyber security, reliability, and fault tolerance design, integrated into a common methodology. In this paper, we discuss the fragmented landscape of studies into the risk of cyber attack on smart metering systems, and then draw on concepts from systems engineering and fault tolerance design to organize and unify the pieces.