Review of cyber-security challenges and measures in smart substation

Abstract

As the data transmission in smart substation is larger, and various packets are directly related to the proper and stable operation of substation, even of the whole power grid, cyber-security of smart substation becomes extremely important. This paper discusses the challenges and measures of smart substation cyber-security at present, which mainly includes: Incorrect configuration of network and equipment when testing in substation; computer viruses and network attacks. Then the appropriate measures are analyzed as follows: use paper system Intranet instead of Internet and guarantee the isolation from Internet physically; install a firewall to prevent external unauthorized access; install antivirus software to prevent virus infection; and configure VLAN and ARP binding to prevent internal unauthorized access. As IEC 62351 has provided a set of security solution for power system communication including IEC 61850, we analyze several secure communication mechanism of IEC 62351 and introduce some application examples.