Cyber-Physical models for power grid security analysis: 8-substation case

Abstract

Utilities need to understand and consider the interconnectedness of their electrical system and its supporting cyber infrastructure to maintain system reliability in the face of cyber adversaries. This paper makes two contributions to modeling cyber-physical dependencies within the electrical power sector. First, the paper defines a Common Format using the Cyber-Physical Topology Language (CPTL) to inventory, analyze, and exchange cyber-physical model information. Second, the paper provides an 8-substation cyber-physical reference model. The impact of this work is to enable efficient information exchange of cyber-physical topologies within and among the industry as well as the research community. The reference model and framework will benefit the research community by providing a way to compare analyses on electrical power systems that account for problems within cyber control networks.