A Survey of Software-Defined Smart Grid Networks: Security Threats and Defense Techniques

TL;DR

This survey reviews security threats and defense techniques in software-defined smart grid networks, highlighting vulnerabilities introduced by SDN and discussing current countermeasures and future research directions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of security challenges in SD-SG networks and summarizes existing defense strategies, addressing a gap in recent detailed studies.

Findings

SDN introduces new security vulnerabilities in smart grids.

Cyberattacks can disrupt power grid operations through SDN vulnerabilities.

Current defense techniques are evolving to counter these threats.

Abstract

Smart grids are replacing conventional power grids due to rising electricity use, failing infrastructure, and reliability problems. Two-way communication, demand-side administration, and real-time pricing make smart grids (SGs) dependent on its communication system. Manual network administration slows down SG communication. SG networks additionally utilize hardware and software from several vendors, allowing devices to communicate. Software-defined SGs (SD-SG) use software-defined networking (SDN) to monitor and regulate SG global communication networks to address these concerns. SDN separates the data plane (routers and switches) from the control plane (routing logic) and centralizes control into the SDN controller. This helps network operators manage visibility, control, and security. These benefits have made SDN popular in SG architectural and security studies. But because SD-SGs are vulnerable to cyberattacks, there are concerns about the security of these SD-SG networks. Cybercriminals can attack software-defined communication networks, affecting the power grid. Unauthorized access can be used to intercept messages and introduce false data into system measurements, flood communication channels with fraudulent data packets, or target controllers, a potential single point of failure, to cripple SDN networks. Current research reflects this paradigm as defense and security against such attacks have developed and evolved. There is a need for a current study that provides a more detailed analysis and description of SD-SG network security dangers and countermeasures, as well as future research needs and developing threats for the sector. To fill this void, this survey is presented.