Defending Microgrid Cyberattacks
Microgrids are increasingly common, and so are microgrid cyberattacks. As a refresher, microgrids are like mini grids that are separated from the main grid, and are often used for hospitals, schools and other entities that require a stable, independent source of power, renewable or otherwise. Unfortunately, the fragmented nature of these isolated power sources increases the cybersecurity risk dramatically.
Why are Microgrid Cyberattacks on the Rise, and What is Being Done About It?
The most obvious reason why microgrid cyberattacks are on the rise is that there are simply a lot more of these scattered through the U.S. and the world compared to even just a decade ago. In addition, they require complex computer networks to coordinate, control and distribute the generated power. Simply put, if one link in the chain gets infected, the other links will quickly follow suit.
Additionally, hackers don’t necessarily need to have a detailed understanding of the inner workings of a microgrid to launch an attack. Conversely, they could launch an attack with no internal knowledge, simply by utilizing historical data about the grid’s performance to structure an attack that has the best possible chance of succeeding.
Specifically, an attacker could target the functions that regulate power generation or the control signals that regulate power conversion, or he/she could facilitate grid instability by suddenly changing the load. There are other methods as well, but those are beyond the scope of this post (and my own knowledge for that matter!).
No matter which attack method is launched, the cascading damage could create additional costs, outages and equipment damage. The good news is that researchers are currently developing automated monitoring capabilities that can quickly identify disruptions, in order to deploy defensive measures. These capabilities are not yet ready for prime time, but they’re getting close.
In the final analysis, microgrid cyberattacks are a real and increasing threat within the electric utility industry, and it’s comforting to know that this problem is being actively researched to come up with real world solutions.
