Identification of Compromised Power System State Variables

Securing the critical infrastructure power grid is one of the biggest challenges in securing cyberspace. In this environment, control devices are spread across large geographic distances and utilize several mediums for communication. Given the required network topology of the power grid several entry points may exist that can be utilized for compromising a control network. This article explores a cyber event detection scheme based on the Grubbs’ test to classify univariate values. The test is conducted only after a power system instance has been classified as containing a cyber-event. The classification of each instance is made via principal component analysis and the Hotelings T2 value. A Monte Carlo simulation is used to determine a set of converging power system instances and is based on the Newton-Rhapson method to solve the power flow equations of a 5 bus power system. Results indicate successful classification at a rate of 90%.