Cyber Security Context: Today's Grid, Tomorrow's Smart Grid
Sometimes called the world's
largest interconnected machine, the electric power system is the most
capital-intensive infrastructure in North America.5 The system is undergoing
tremendous change that will unfold over a number of years. As the grid is
modernized, it will become highly automated, leverage information technology
more fully, and become more capable in managing energy from a variety of
distributed sources. However, in this process of becoming increasingly
"smarter," the grid will expand to contain more interconnections that may
become portals for intrusions, error-caused disruptions, malicious attacks, and
other threats.
A few examples of potential risks associated with the evolution of the Smart Grid include:
• Greater complexity increases exposure to potential attackers and
unintentional errors;
• Networks that link more frequently to other networks introduce common
vulnerabilities that may now span multiple Smart Grid domains and increase the
potential for cascading failures;
• More interconnections present increased opportunities for "denial of
service" attacks, introduction of malicious code (in software/firmware) or
compromised hardware, and related types of attacks and intrusions;
• As the number of network nodes increases, the number of entry points and
paths that potential adversaries might exploit also increases; and
• Extensive data gathering and two-way information flows may broaden the
potential for compromises of data confidentiality and breaches of customer
privacy, and compromises of personal data and intrusions of customer
privacy.
Note: SmartGridSec.org is a product of the Non-Profit researchers.