"Preventing Grid Cyberattacks With the Flip of a Switch"

Electrical substations are considered the "middle-man" of the power system, but unlike the middle-man targeted for elimination in most corporate transactions, the electrical substation plays a critical role in the route of electricity from the grid to the customer. This journey has always been a complicated and multi-step process, but the risks of cyberattacks on the electrical grid have just made things a little more difficult. Therefore, Chen-Ching Liu, professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech and head of the Power and Energy Center, will collaborate with academics, industry professionals, and the Department of Energy (DOE) during the next three years to improve grid cybersecurity. The DOE's $3 million funding comes at a time when cyberattacks on the power grid are not just possible but destructive. For example, in 2015, six substations in Ukraine's electrical grid faced attacks via remote control of the circuit breakers, resulting in a nearly six-hour-long blackout. This attack exposed the vulnerabilities of the smart grid and was the first cyberattack known to have caused a significant power outage. Substations are typically unstaffed and located in remote areas. Furthermore, substations significantly outnumber power plants and control centers, making them an attractive target for cybercriminals seeking to wreak the most damage. Liu and his team are developing Cyber-REsilience for SubsTations (CREST) technology to address these threats and prevent a similar attack on the US power grid. CREST is composed of three primary phases of operation: detection, mitigation, and recovery. This methodology stresses the detection and mitigation of cyber threats through the enhancement of cyber resilience. This article continues to discuss the work that Liu and his team are doing to improve electrical substation cybersecurity. 

Virginia Tech reports "Preventing Grid Cyberattacks With the Flip of a Switch"