Review of Cyber-Physical Attacks and Counter Defense Mechanisms for Advanced Metering Infrastructure in Smart Grid

TL;DR

This paper reviews cyber-physical attacks on Advanced Metering Infrastructure in smart grids and discusses defense mechanisms and mathematical tools for security enhancement.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive survey of attack surfaces, attack models, and defense strategies in AMI, including analysis tools for security solutions.

Findings

Identified key cyber-physical attack vectors in AMI

Compared attack models and their impacts on smart grid security

Summarized mathematical tools for security analysis

Abstract

The Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is a vital element in the current development of the smart grid. AMI technologies provide electric utilities with an effective way of continuous monitoring and remote control of smart grid components. However, owing to its increasing scale and cyber-physical nature, the AMI has been faced with security threats in both cyber and physical domains. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the crucial cyber-physical attacks and counter defense mechanisms in the AMI. First, two attack surfaces are surveyed in the AMI including the communication network and smart meters. The potential cyber-physical attacks are then reviewed for each attack surface. Next, the attack models and their cyber and physical impacts on the smart grid are studied for comparison. Counter defense mechanisms that help mitigate these security threats are discussed. Finally, several mathematical tools which may help in analysis and implementation of security solutions are summarized.