JAIST Repository
https://dspace.jaist.ac.jp/Title

スマートグリッドサイバーセキュリティ実験：アーキテクチャと方法論

Author(s)LE, Duy Tan

CitationIssue Date

2021-03

TypeThesis or Dissertation

Text version

ETDURLhttp://hdl.handle.net/10119/17476

RightsDescription

Supervisor:BEURAN, Razvan Florin, 先端科学技術研
究科, 博士Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

氏名LE, Duy Tan

学

位の 種類

博士（情報科学）

学位記号

博情第 449 号番

学 位 授 与年 月 日
論文題目論 文 審 査 委 員

令和 3 年 3 月 24 日
Smart Grid Cybersecurity Experimentation: Architecture andMethodology
主査 Razvan BEURAN

JAISTResearch Assoc. Prof.

Yoichi SHINODA

JAISTProfessor

Yasuo TAN

JAIST

Professor

Yuto LIM

JAIST

Assoc. Prof.

Seng. W. LOKE

Deakin University

Professor

論文の内容の要旨
The smart grid is a vital part of the Japanese initiative named “Society 5.0”. It is also one of thecore technologies enabling sustainable economic and social developments. This next-generationelectrical power system integrates the traditional electrical grid and computer technology toenhance the automation, connectivity, and communication of the different power network
components. In recent years, various attacks have been made on the smart grid system, whichlead to serious harmful consequences.

The smart grid structure is complex and includes two essential parts: network communicationand the power grid. Researchers need to consider the relationship between these components forfurther system investigation and improvement. Moreover, it is not a trivial activity to implementa real smart grid system for the cybersecurity experiment and validation process, since it entails

high risk of destroying the electrical infrastructure and equipment, resulting in enormous
economic consequences and even in danger regarding human lives. As a result, in this criticaldomain where testing on a real system is so hazardous, simulation and analysis techniques canbe considered as an effective solution to make smart grid cybersecurity experimentation possible.
The attack simulation and analysis tools are mainly applied to simulate attacks and emulate theactual circumstances in which these attacks occur, particularly system settings and network

topologies. The application of real incident simulation tools to cybersecurity experimentation is a

primary factor for enhancing the efficacy of the experimentation process. Due to its pioneeringcharacteristics, not many research studies currently exist on practical cybersecurity

experimentation for the smart grid. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first researchworks that thoroughly addresses this important issue.

This dissertation identifies the need for realistic cybersecurity experimentation for the smart

grid and formulates the corresponding system design requirements. A general architecture forsmart grid cybersecurity experimentation, which fulfills these specifications, is also introduced.
To deal with the great system complexity but still achieve our goal, we divided smart gridcybersecurity experimentation into two parts: the co-simulation approach and the analyticalmodeling approach. The specifications, general architectures and methodologies of both are
determined and detailed herein.

In the co-simulation approach, we introduced and implemented GridAttackSim. This novel

co-simulation framework enables the simulation of smart grid infrastructure characteristics,
allows various cybersecurity attacks to be simulated, and evaluates their consequences. A casestudy was performed with two different test feeders to validate the functionality of
GridAttackSim.

In the analytical modeling approach, we first provided a literature review on the current

state-of-the-art for smart grid attack analysis. The most promising directions were then applied

to design and implement GridAttackAnalyzer (Cyber Attack Analysis Framework for Smart
Grids). A case study with various attack scenarios was conducted to validate this framework.

This dissertation’s main contribution is a methodology that can effectively support realistic

cybersecurity experimentation for the smart grid. This methodology was implemented in theform of the two frameworks mentioned above, GridAttackSim and GridAttackAnalyzer. Using

these frameworks, researchers can determine the consequences of various attack types, thus
making possible the early development and evaluation of new anomaly detection methods andmitigation even before their actual implementation. Moreover, the frameworks can also be used

to define effective approaches for the implementation of smart grid technology, for instance, todetermine efficient communication requirements for device operation.

In addition, the systems can be used for cybersecurity training of IT experts and cybersecurity

professionals. For example, based on evaluating various security metrics, IT experts andcybersecurity professionals can discover all the possible attack paths, and determine which
vulnerable devices on those paths should be protected in advance to prevent the most significant

damage. It also becomes possible to compare the effectiveness of specific device-level strategies

deployed for different devices. For the network level, the performance of various defense
strategies for smart grid systems can be assessed. Furthermore, our work can help system
planners to estimate the attack damage cost on a smart grid system.

Keywords: smart grid, cybersecurity experimentation, simulation, co-simulation, attack analysis.

論文審査の結果の要旨
The dissertation of Mr. Le, Duy Tan deals with the important topic of smart gridcybersecurity. Smart grids are an essential component of the Society 5.0 vision, in whichcyber and physical spaces will be interconnected with each other. As smart grids involve twomain components, the power grid and the network infrastructure, developing smart grid

new technologies implies conducting thorough experiments for validation and evaluation
purposes.

In his thesis, Mr. Le starts by analyzing the two approaches for smart grid cybersecurity

experimentation that arise as alternative to real-world experiments, which are difficult to

conduct at least in the initial development stages due to the high risks involved. He thendiscusses in detail the architecture and methodology characteristic to each of theseapproaches, namely co-simulation and analytical modelling.

To illustrate the co-simulation approach, Mr. Le has implemented the GridAttackSimframework, which makes it possible to conduct experiments in which the power grid, thenetwork and the cybersecurity aspects are all simulated together in an integrated manner.
The applicability of this approach was illustrated by a series of case studies.

The second framework, named GridAttackAnalyzer, makes it possible to analyze theconsequences of cyberattacks and compute security metrics for a series of cybersecurity

scenarios that also serve as case studies. Both frameworks were evaluated fromfunctionality and usability perspectives.

The work of Mr. Le was already presented via a journal publication and two peer-reviewed

international conference presentations, which demonstrates both the validity of his results
and good level of his English language skills.

Based on the above considerations, we conclude that his dissertation has an overall highquality, and we approve awarding the doctoral degree to Mr. LE, Duy Tan.