Method for operating an electrical network, in particular a power supply network or power distribution network, in which protective apparatuses are connected to a multiplicity of measurement positions, which apparatuses monitor an assigned network section of the electrical network and are respectively parameterized with at least one apparatus-side parameter value which influences the mode of operation of the respective protective apparatus, wherein - the protective apparatuses are remotely readable and are connected to a superordinate central device, and - the central device reads the apparatus-side parameter values from the protective apparatuses, characterized in that, with the aid of operating data which describe the respective operating state of the electrical network, with the aid of structure data which describe the technical infrastructure of the electrical network, and with the aid of the respective apparatus-side parameter values of the protective apparatuses, the central device checks whether - in relation to the respective operating state of the network - there is a network fault, in particular a short circuit, in an arbitrarily predetermined network section (NAv) and actuation of one or more protective apparatuses assigned to this faulty network section would lead to a cascaded shutdown of fault-free network sections, in particular neighbouring fault-free network sections, and, if so, to what extent, and in that, when a predetermined extent threshold of the extent of a cascaded shutdown is exceeded, the central device checks whether modified parameter values (PWmod) for those protective apparatuses which belong to neighbouring network sections (NAb) in relation to the arbitrarily predetermined network section (NAv) would reduce the extent of the cascaded shutdown, and in the case of a reduction of the extent of the cascaded shutdown, the determined modified parameter values (PWmod) are transmitted to the relevant protective apparatuses for reparameterization. - the protective apparatuses are remotely readable and are connected to a superordinate central device, and - the central device reads the apparatus-side parameter values from the protective apparatuses, with the aid of operating data which describe the respective operating state of the electrical network, with the aid of structure data which describe the technical infrastructure of the electrical network, and with the aid of the respective apparatus-side parameter values of the protective apparatuses, the central device checks whether - in relation to the respective operating state of the network - there is a network fault, in particular a short circuit, in an arbitrarily predetermined network section (NAv) and actuation of one or more protective apparatuses assigned to this faulty network section would lead to a cascaded shutdown of fault-free network sections, in particular neighbouring fault-free network sections, and, if so, to what extent, and in that, when a predetermined extent threshold of the extent of a cascaded shutdown is exceeded, the central device checks whether modified parameter values (PWmod) for those protective apparatuses which belong to neighbouring network sections (NAb) in relation to the arbitrarily predetermined network section (NAv) would reduce the extent of the cascaded shutdown, and in the case of a reduction of the extent of the cascaded shutdown, the determined modified parameter values (PWmod) are transmitted to the relevant protective apparatuses for reparameterization.