Towards a Resilience Metric Framework for Cyber-Physical Systems

Resilience is widely accepted as a desirable system property for cyber-physical systems. However, there are no metrics that can be used to measure the resilience of cyber-physical systems (CPS) while the multi-dimensional nature of performance in these systems is considered. In this work, we present first results towards a resilience metric framework. The key contributions of this framework are threefold: First, it allows to evaluate resilience with respect to different performance indicators that are of interest. Second, complexities that are relevant to the performance indicators of interest, can be intentionally abstracted. Third and final, it supports the identification of reasons for good or bad resilience to improve system design.

Towards a Cyber-physical Resilience Framework for Smart Grids

As modern power grids move towards becoming a smart grid, there is an increasing reliance on the data that is transmitted and processed by ICT systems. This reliance introduces new digital attack vectors. Many of the proposed approaches that aim to address this problem largely focus on applying well-known ICT security solutions. However, what is needed are approaches that meet the complex concerns of the smart grid as a cyber-physical system. Furthermore, to support the automatic control loops that exist in a power grid, similarly automatic security and resilience mechanisms are needed that rely on minimal operator intervention. The research proposed in this paper aims to develop a framework that ensures resilient smart grid operation in light of successful cyber-attacks.

Investigating Cyber-Physical Attacks against IEC 61850 Photovoltaic Inverter Installations

Cyber-attacks against Smart Grids have been found in the real world. Malware such as Havex and BlackEnergy have been found targeting industrial control systems (ICS) and researchers have shown that cyber-attacks can exploit vulnerabilities in widely used Smart Grid communication standards. This paper addresses a deep investigation of attacks against the manufacturing message specification of IEC 61850, which is expected to become one of the most widely used communication services in Smart Grids. We investigate how an attacker can build a custom tool to execute man-in-the-middle attacks, manipulate data, and affect the physical system. Attack capabilities are demonstrated based on NESCOR scenarios to make it possible to thoroughly test these scenarios in a real system. The goal is to help understand the potential for such attacks, and to aid the development and testing of cyber security solutions. An attack use-case is presented that focuses on the standard for power utility automation, IEC 61850 in the context of inverter-based distributed energy resource devices; especially photovoltaic (PV) generators.

STPA-SafeSec: Safety and Security Analysis for Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-physical systems tightly integrate physical processes and information and communication technologies. As today’s critical infrastructures, e.g., the power grid or water distribution networks, are complex cyber-physical systems, ensuring their safety and security becomes of paramount importance. Traditional safety analysis methods, such as HAZOP, are ill-suited to assess these systems. Furthermore, cybersecurity vulnerabilities are often not considered critical, because their effects on the physical processes are not fully understood. In this work, we present STPA-SafeSec, a novel analysis methodology for both safety and security. Its results show the dependencies between cybersecurity vulnerabilities and system safety. Using this information, the most effective mitigation strategies to ensure safety and security of the system can be readily identified. We apply STPA-SafeSec to a use case in the power grid domain, and highlight its benefits.

A Cyber-Physical Security Analysis of Synchronous-Islanded Microgrid Operation

Cyber-security research in the field of smart grids is often performed with a focus on either the power and control domain or the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) domain. The characteristics of the power equipment or ICT domain are commonly not collectively considered. This work provides an analysis of the physical effects of cyber-attacks on microgrids – a smart grid construct that allows continued power supply when disconnected from a main grid. Different types of microgrid operations are explained (connected, islanded and synchronous-islanding) and potential cyber-attacks and their physical effects are analyzed. A testbed that is based on physical power and ICT equipment is presented to validate the results in both the physical and ICT domain.

Multidimensional Intrusion Detection System for IEC 61850 based SCADA Networks

Emerging cybersecurity vulnerabilities in supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are becoming urgent engineering issues for modern substations. This paper proposes a novel intrusion detection system (IDS) tailored for cybersecurity of IEC 61850 based substations. The proposed IDS integrates physical knowledge, protocol specifications and logical behaviours to provide a comprehensive and effective solution that is able to mitigate various cyberattacks. The proposed approach comprises access control detection, protocol whitelisting, model-based detection, and multi-parameter based detection. This SCADA-specific IDS is implemented and validated using a comprehensive and realistic cyber-physical test-bed and data from a real 500kV smart substation.

A Microgrid Testbed for Interdisciplinary Research on Cyber-Secure Industrial Control in Power Systems

This paper describes a smart grid test bed comprising embedded generation, phasor measurement units (PMUs), and supporting ICT components and infrastructure. The test bed enables the development of a use case focused on a synchronous islanding scenario, where the embedded generation becomes islanded from the mains supply. Due to the provisioned control components, control strategy, and best-practice ICT support infrastructure, the islanded portion of the grid is able to continue to operate in a secure and dependable manner.

d-outcome measurement for a nonlocality test

For the purpose of a nonlocality test, we propose a general correlation observable of two parties by utilizing local d- outcome measurements with SU(d) transformations and classical communications. Generic symmetries of the SU(d) transformations and correlation observables are found for the test of nonlocality. It is shown that these symmetries dramatically reduce the number of numerical variables, which is important for numerical analysis of nonlocality. A linear combination of the correlation observables, which is reduced to the Clauser- Home-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) Bell's inequality for two outcome measurements, leads to the Collins-Gisin-Linden-Massar-Popescu (CGLMP) nonlocality test for d-outcome measurement. As a system to be tested for its nonlocality, we investigate a continuous- variable (CV) entangled state with d measurement outcomes. It allows the comparison of nonlocality based on different numbers of measurement outcomes on one physical system. In our example of the CV state, we find that a pure entangled state of any degree violates Bell's inequality for d(greater than or equal to2) measurement outcomes when the observables are of SU(d) transformations.

Three-dimensional pattern formation, multiple homogeneous soft modes, and nonlinear dielectric electroconvection

Patterns forming spontaneously in extended, three-dimensional, dissipative systems are likely to excite several homogeneous soft modes (approximate to hydrodynamic modes) of the underlying physical system, much more than quasi-one- (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) patterns are. The reason is the lack of damping boundaries. This paper compares two analytic techniques to derive the pattern dynamics from hydrodynamics, which are usually equivalent but lead to different results when applied to multiple homogeneous soft modes. Dielectric electroconvection in nematic liquid crystals is introduced as a model for 3D pattern formation. The 3D pattern dynamics including soft modes are derived. For slabs of large but finite thickness the description is reduced further to a 2D one. It is argued that the range of validity of 2D descriptions is limited to a very small region above threshold. The transition from 2D to 3D pattern dynamics is discussed. Experimentally testable predictions for the stable range of ideal patterns and the electric Nusselt numbers are made. For most results analytic approximations in terms of material parameters are given. [S1063-651X(00)09512-X].

Cybersecurity Test-Bed for IEC 61850 based Smart Substations

With the development and deployment of IEC 61850 based smart substations, cybersecurity vulnerabilities of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are increasingly emerging. In response to the emergence of cybersecurity vulnerabilities in smart substations, a test-bed is indispensable to enable cybersecurity experimentation. In this paper, a comprehensive and realistic cyber-physical test-bed has been built to investigate potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities and the impact of cyber-attacks on IEC 61850 based smart substations. This test-bed is close to a real production type environment, and has the ability to carry out end-to-end testing of cyber-attacks and physical consequences. A fuzz testing approach is proposed for detecting IEC 61850 based intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) and validated in the proposed test-bed.

Threat Analysis of BlackEnergy Malware for Synchrophasor based Real-time Control and Monitoring in Smart Grid

The BlackEnergy malware targeting critical infrastructures has a long history. It evolved over time from a simple DDoS platform to a quite sophisticated plug-in based malware. The plug-in architecture has a persistent malware core with easily installable attack specific modules for DDoS, spamming, info-stealing, remote access, boot-sector formatting etc. BlackEnergy has been involved in several high profile cyber physical attacks including the recent Ukraine power grid attack in December 2015. This paper investigates the evolution of BlackEnergy and its cyber attack capabilities. It presents a basic cyber attack model used by BlackEnergy for targeting industrial control systems. In particular, the paper analyzes cyber threats of BlackEnergy for synchrophasor based systems which are used for real-time control and monitoring functionalities in smart grid. Several BlackEnergy based attack scenarios have been investigated by exploiting the vulnerabilities in two widely used synchrophasor communication standards: (i) IEEE C37.118 and (ii) IEC 61850-90-5. Specifically, the paper addresses reconnaissance, DDoS, man-in-the-middle and replay/reflection attacks on IEEE C37.118 and IEC 61850-90-5. Further, the paper also investigates protection strategies for detection and prevention of BlackEnergy based cyber physical attacks.

Touching at a Distance: Resistance, Tactility, Proxemics and the Development of a Hybrid Virtual/Physical Performance System

This is a paper about resistance and affordance as they relate to music-making in the most extended sense, and perhaps about empathy if this is understood as a capacity to ‘read’ the resistances and affordances of objects, bodies, people and environments. It proceeds from a set of broad working assumptions which inform one individual’s musical practice, via a description a musical-instrument making project which is a hybrid of physical and virtual elements and is designed to test those assumptions, to a speculative finale in which it is suggested that musicking might, in some circumstances, be regarded in itself as a form of resistance. It moves from the intimate and personal, through what might be regarded as local concerns to more global observation, prefiguring the structure of the performance system it describes: the Virtual-Physical Feedback flute

The physical activity loyalty card scheme:Development and application of a novel system for incentivizing behaviour change

In the Public Health White Paper "Healthy Lives, Healthy People" (2010), the UK Government emphasised using incentives and "nudging" to encourage positive, healthy behaviour changes. However, there is little evidence that nudging is effective, in particular for increasing physical activity. We have created a platform to research the effectiveness of health-related behaviour change interventions and incentive schemes. The system consists of an outward-facing website, incorporating tools for incentivizing behaviour change, and a novel physical activity monitoring system. The monitoring system consists of the "Physical Activity Loyalty Card", which contains a passive RFID tag, and a contactless sensor network to detect the cards. This paper describes the application of this novel web-based system to investigate the effectiveness of non-cash incentives to "nudge" adults to undertake more physical activity. © 2012 ICST Institute for Computer Science, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.

Design, construction and testing of an air-cycle refrigeration system for road transport

The environmental attractions of air-cycle refrigeration are considerable. Following a thermodynamic design analysis, an air-cycle demonstrator plant was constructed within the restricted physical envelope of an existing Thermo King SL200 trailer refrigeration unit. This unique plant operated satisfactorily, delivering sustainable cooling for refrigerated trailers using a completely natural and safe working fluid. The full load capacity of the air-cycle unit at -20 °C was 7,8 kW, 8% greater than the equivalent vapour-cycle unit, but the fuel consumption of the air-cycle plant was excessively high. However, at part load operation the disparity in fuel consumption dropped from approximately 200% to around 80%. The components used in the air-cycle demonstrator were not optimised and considerable potential exists for efficiency improvements, possibly to the point where the air-cycle system could rival the efficiency of the standard vapour-cycle system at part-load operation, which represents the biggest proportion of operating time for most units.