Cyber security disaster management for power sector

Cyber Attack-Power Sector, a critical electrical infrastructure in India, is at risk due to increasing cyber incidences that may impact normal operations. The electrical infrastructure depends on electronic control systems for its operation which are Cyber physical IT system. Due to this Power System become prone to Cyber-attacks as in case of IT systems. Since any damage to cyber physical system always cause loss of time and money, Cyber Security of Power System is critical. Cyber-attacks are increasing threats to the control systems used in the critical infrastructures in the world today. Cyber threats to system can take many forms e.g. failure of a system/ element to act/ react in designed way due to virus, software bugs, intrusion and congestion in the underlying/ supervising system and it may lead the misguidance to the operating engineers and there by taking false decision in real time operation. Dependence of normal system operation on ICT is such that Operators/ Power System personnel are unaware and not well versed in alternate methods to control/ operate the system. Non availability of ICT systems is also a form of Cyber Security vulnerability. While it is not possible to protect or eliminate the vulnerability of all critical infrastructure, the strategic improvements in security can make it more difficult for attacks to succeed and can lessen the impact of attacks that may occur. Cyber intrusions are costly to Power Sector and many could be prevented by adopting safe design Cyber Security Standards. The impact of cyber vulnerabilities is proportional to the criticality of the functions and systems being impacted. The Cyber security vulnerabilities in Generation Sector are localized and its impact can shut down one unit or plant. The effect of vulnerabilities in centralized systems e.g. SCADA/Automation etc. used in Transmission & Distribution sector is wider and has potential impact on the synchronous operation of entire Power System, leading to Grid collapse. As far as Distribution sector is concerned where bulk of Smart Grid activities are visible, the impact of compromise of a centralized SCADA / DMS can lead to disruption of services to critical customers like Hospitals, Metro Rail etc. which is critical for the units/Services involved but at the same time not global and widespread. Smart Grids is gradually changing the institutional map of the Power Sector creating a new ecosystem of players extending well beyond today’s network of system operators, distributors/ retailer and end-users. However, opening the electricity system to third party innovation will require dealing with new issues such as Interoperability, Cyber-security, Big Data and consumer privacy. Smart Grid is more and more dependent on IoT systems and automated operation of Grid elements including consumer centric decision. With the advent of Smart Grid applications, the cyber space in the Power Sector has increased and so have the Cyber Security vulnerabilities. Increasing number of entry points and paths are available for potential adversaries/hackers. An attack on Smart meters and Smart appliances may lead to commercial loss apart from breach of privacy to individual consumers at Distribution level. The paper details the Cyber threats to the Power Networks & prevention techniques for system technology involving IoT sensor nodes, bidirectional communication protocols, cloud architecture and predictive data analytics.