SCADA modeling for performance and vulnerability assessment of integrated cyber-physical systems

Summary On top of the power infrastructure reside information and communication technology (ICT) layers for monitoring and control of the grid. The cyber and power systems together form a complex structure, which is referred to as a cyber–physical system (CPS). If the power system's observability and controllability are compromised due to communication and cyber security problems, the grid can be exposed to catastrophic events. As a result, there is a great need to model the interactions between ICT and power grids. This paper proposes a new model and simulation platform for the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system of an integrated CPS. SCADA performance is assessed based on communication time delays. Methods to model cyber intrusions and assess the CPS security are proposed. The success rates for unauthorized access and control of power devices are computed. The impact on the grid is evaluated and the attack with the highest efficiency is identified. The proposed method is tested with the IEEE 39‐bus system on a SCADA testbed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.