Smart Grid Cyber Security Challenges: Overview and Classification
Smart Grid Cyber Security Challenges: Overview and Classification

Summary/Abstract: The Smart Grid is gradually attracting the attention of government, industry and academia. It is a next generation electricity network that depends on two-way communication between its elements, being more reliable, more efficient and self-healing, with automatic meter reading and dynamic pricing 1. Smart Grid technology presents new cyber security threats that should be addressed. Deploying a Smart Grid without suitable cyber security might result in serious consequences, such as grid instability, utility fraud,and the loss of user information and energy consumption data. Due to the various architectures that assure communication within the Smart Grid, it is a challenge to design an advanced and strong cyber security concept that can be smoothly deployed to protect the devices in the Smart Grid’s infrastructure. This article focuses on Smart Grid cyber security threats to Home Area Networks (HANs) and Neighbourhood Area Networks (NANs). It aims at providing knowledge management and deep analysis of the threats to HANs and NANs, including one of the biggest cyber security threats, advanced malware. Smart Grid Malware mitigation is essential to ensure the proper functioning and efficient operation of the utility companies and the private home economy. Advanced malware has a variety of anti-detection features like dynamic encryption, code obfuscation and stealth operation. The offensive part of advanced malware has a mechanism to disguise who, when and where will be attacked.

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