Procedural Generation of Communication Networks in Power Systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a tool for procedurally generating power system communication network topologies, enabling research into network design impacts on cyber vulnerability and resilience.

Contribution

A novel tool for generating customizable communication network topologies in power systems, supporting research and benchmarking with JSON specifications.

Findings

The tool can replicate real-world SCADA network structures.

Network redundancy improves cyber resilience.

Example specifications for AMI, SCADA, and WAM networks are provided.

Abstract

Power system communication networks enable operators to remotely monitor and control field equipment. The sophistication of these networks is also increasing as operators continue the trend towards digitization, which is beneficial in integrating distributed energy resources. However, as the attack surface increases in size so too does the risk of cyberattacks. The topology, configuration and composition of communication networks is therefore confidential since this can provide information to attackers. As a result, the number of benchmarks available for research purposes is limited. A tool for procedurally generating communication network topologies is therefore proposed. While primarily intended as an enabler for public research into communication networks, this tool also allows general insights to be gained into the effect of communication network design on the vulnerability of networks to cyberattacks. The tool includes the ability to encapsulate network characteristics in JSON specification files, which is demonstrated with example Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Wide Area Monitoring (WAM) specification files. The SCADA network generation is then compared to a real-world case. Finally, the effect of network redundancy on the networks cyber resilience is investigated.