![]() Because of the need for more efficiency, digital technology gets more widespread, and new technologies in the energy grid heavily rely on high-frequency monitoring cycles and adaptation to bottlenecks in the grid. ![]() This is also reflected by a legislative point of view, with power grids being classified as critical infrastructure in many countries. Despite its importance to modern society, the energy sector has adapted slower than other industries to digital technology due to its size and need for high system availability. Historically, power grids have grown from simple, localized grids to large, physically wide-spread grids, often spanning multiple nations or even whole continents. For each of these categories, we distill and discuss a comprehensive set of state-of-the art approaches, as well as identify further opportunities to strengthen cybersecurity in interconnected power grids. To address these challenges, we propose to rely on a defense-in-depth strategy, which encompasses measures for (i) device and application security, (ii) network security, and (iii) physical security, as well as (iv) policies, procedures, and awareness. Based on these challenges, we identify a broad set of resulting attack vectors and attack scenarios that threaten the security of power grids. ![]() In this paper, we analyze the communication infrastructure of power grids to derive resulting fundamental challenges of power grids with respect to cybersecurity. Indeed, cyber attacks on power grids have already succeeded in causing temporary, large-scale blackouts in the recent past. ![]() The resulting increase in communication creates a larger attack surface for malicious actors. Increasing volatilities within power transmission and distribution force power grid operators to amplify their use of communication infrastructure to monitor and control their grid.
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