Title :
A physical overlay framework for insider threat mitigation of power system devices
Author :
Formby, David ; Sang Shin Jung ; Walters, Seth ; Beyah, Raheem
Author_Institution :
Commun. Assurance & Performance (CAP)Group, Georgia Inst. of Technol., Atlanta, GA, USA
Abstract :
Nearly every aspect of modern life today, from businesses, transportation, and healthcare, depends on the power grid operating safely and reliably. While the recent push for a “Smart Grid” has shown promise for increased efficiency, security has often been an after-thought, leaving this critical infrastructure vulnerable to a variety of cyber attacks. For instance, devices crucial to the safe operation of the power grid are left in remote substations with their configuration interfaces completely open, providing a vector for outsiders as well as insiders to launch an attack. This paper develops the framework for an overlay network of gateway devices that provide authenticated access control and security monitoring for these vulnerable interfaces. We develop a working prototype of such a device and simulate the performance of deployment throughout a substation. Our results suggest that such a system can be deployed with negligible impact on normal operations, while providing important security mechanisms. By doing so, we demonstrate that our proposal is a practical and efficient solution for retro-fitting security onto crucial power system devices.
Keywords :
authorisation; message authentication; overlay networks; power engineering computing; power system measurement; power system security; smart power grids; substations; authenticated access control; configuration interfaces; cyber attacks; gateway devices; insider threat mitigation; overlay network; physical overlay framework; power grid; power system devices; remote substations; retro-fitting security; security mechanisms; security monitoring; smart grid; Maintenance engineering; Performance evaluation; Security; Smart grids; Substations; Universal Serial Bus;
Conference_Titel :
Smart Grid Communications (SmartGridComm), 2014 IEEE International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Venice
DOI :
10.1109/SmartGridComm.2014.7007774