IEEE Smart Grid Research: Cyber Security

Countries across the globe are implementing smart grids in order to achieve reductions in emissions, increased grid efficiency, increased usage of renewable energy sources, increased consumer control over their energy consumption, and other economic benefits. Despite the promised benefits of the Smart Grid, there are various concerns that need to be addressed such as security threats, privacy concerns, high infrastructure costs, and increased tariffs for effective implementation. A large number of possible threat scenarios and threat agents make it imperative for Smart Grid cyber security to be adequately addressed. This report details the cyber security vulnerabilities that exist in the Smart Grid value chain, the efforts undertaken by certain countries to mitigate these vulnerabilities, and the measures that need to be implemented going forward. Four such instances of cyber security breaches are highlighted in this report.