# Toward Secure Smart Grid Systems: Risks, Threats, Challenges, and Future Directions
## 5 Smart Grid Attacks
### Types of Attack  
Smart grid attacks can be divided into different types, as shown in Figure 4, and can manifest themselves in various forms, targeting different parts and components of the smart grid infrastructure. Table 14 presents a taxonomy of these main smart grid attack types divided into four categories: visibility, activity, coordination, and sophistication/characteristics.  
Another possible taxonomy is based on the nature of attack, coordination and complexity, and persistence. In this case, covert/overt/passive/active/zero-day attacks follow the nature attack category. Simultaneous and separate attacks fall under the coordination category, while APT attacks are categorized by complexity and persistence.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Category** & **Attack Type** & **Description** \\ \hline Visibility & Covert, Overt & Attacks that are either stealthy or openly visible \\ \hline Activity & Passive, Active & Passive (e.g., eavesdropping) or active (e.g., data injection) \\ \hline Coordination & Simultaneous, Separate & Coordinated multi-vector or isolated events \\ \hline Sophistication & Advanced Persistent Threat, Zero-day & Highly advanced attacks exploiting unknown vulnerabilities \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 13: Classification of smart grid attacks.  
Figure 4: Types of smart grid attacks.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Category** & **Attack Type** & **Description** & **Characteristics** & **Thereats** & **Vulnerability** & **Impact Area** & **Countermeasures** & **Origin (Act of)** \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Visibility} & \multirow{4}{*}{Covert} & Hidden, stealthy & \multirow{4}{*}{Espinage, APT} & \multirow{4}{*}{Weak monitoring, unlogged access} & Data privacy & Anomaly detection, behavioral analytics & \multirow{4}{*}{Espinage, subotage} \\  & & unauthorized data & & & & & & \\  & & access or & & & & & & \\  & manipulation & & & & & & & \\ \cline{2-8}  & \multirow{4}{*}{Overall} & Openly launched & & & & & & \\  & & attacks like DDoS or & Olovious, aggressive & DDoS, cybercrime & Public-facing & \multirow{4}{*}{Visibility} & Firewalls, rate & Cyberiminal \\  & & dedecement & & & & & \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Activity} & \multirow{4}{*}{Passive} & Exresolropping & \multirow{4}{*}{Non-disruptive} & Surveillance, & Unencrypted & Privacy, confidentiality & Encryption, secure \\  & & & data or systems & & & & \\ \cline{2-8}  & \multirow{4}{*}{Active} & Direct data & & & & & & \\  & alteration or & & & & & & \\  & disruption & & & & & & \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Coordination} & \multirow{4}{*}{Simultaneous} & Coordinated & High-impact, & Cyberwarfze, & \multirow{4}{*}{Isolated endpoints} & \multirow{4}{*}{Isolated endpoints} & \multirow{4}{*}{Specific de-vices/subsystems} & Endpoint \\  & & multi-vector attacks & & & & & & \\  & on multiple targets & synchronized & & & & & & \\ \cline{2-8}  & \multirow{4}{*}{Separate} & Isolated and & & & & & & \\  & independent attack & & & & & & & \\  & events & & & & & & & \\ \hline \multirow{4}{*}{Spatisfaction} & \multirow{4}{*}{Zero-Day} & Exploits unknown & \multirow{4}{*}{Undetected, rapid} & \multirow{4}{*}{Zero-day malware} & Software/firmware & Control systems, & Threat intelligence, \\  & & evader detection & & & & & & \\ \cline{2-8}  & \multirow{4}{*}{APT} & Long-term, targeted & & & & & & \\ \cline{2-8}  & attacks via multiple & & & & & & \\ \cline{2-8}  & \multirow{4}{*}{Pensistent, stealthy, & complex & & & & & \\ \cline{2-8}  & & & & & & & \\ \cline{2-8}  & & & & & & & \\ \cline{2-8}  & & & & & & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 14 Extended classification of smart grid attack types.