Cyber Resilience Metrics for Bulk Power Systems

The North American Bulk Power System is a complex technological network, and its cyberphysical interconnectivity allows for long-distance power transmission but presents a “surface” for cyber-attacks. The BPS is comprised of substations, control centers, energy management systems, multiple communication technologies, supervisory control, etc. The critical operation of BPS is to provide monitoring, protection and control based on information gathered from field units and decision making and control at multiple control centers. The components in the BPS that are vulnerable to cyber-attacks include, substations, control centers, communication links and networks. The cyber-attacks can manifest as, spear phishing, denial of service, man-in-the middle, timing, replay, integrity. There is a need to develop cyber resilience metrics for BPS to provide quantitative insights into ability of security controls to ensure operational resilience and development of cost-effective mitigation plan.