Coordinated Network Attacks on Microgrid Dispatch Function: an EPIC Case Study

Communication network dependencies for microgrid’s operations increases cybersecurity risks, where vulnerabilities found in communication protocols can be exploited for malicious intent. In this paper, we enumerate important attack techniques on multiple communication protocols and investigate their impacts on the microgrid dispatch function. We also show that an attacker can leverage multiple protocols to launch coordinated attacks that offers longer-term, stealthier, and larger adversarial impact, an advanced persistent threat. Our main contribution in this work is a detailed case study carried out on Electrical Power and Intelligent Control (EPIC) testbed located in Singapore. Through a series of experiments, we demonstrated individual protocols’ vulnerability, verified their negative impacts on several microgrid’s dispatch functions, and also illustrated the practicality of coordinated attacks through the manipulation of multiple protocols.