A Novel Attack Path Detection Framework Considering Cascading Failures in an Interdependent Cyber–Physical Power System

This article proposes a novel approach to identify the critical attack path (CAP), comprising of multiple cyber and physical components that an attacker may exploit sequentially, so as to cause maximum damage to the system. The proposed CAP detection framework (CAPDF) considers the jamming attack, which causes cascading failures on the individual cyber and physical layers. The framework involves three stages wherein, Stage-1 identifies the critical physical lines and cybernodes in the system. Due to the interdependence of the cyber and physical components, the cascaded effect of a critical component’s outage is evaluated in Stage-2. Finally, Stage-3 ranks the critical contingency sequence based on the multifactor decision analysis. Further, the proposed CAPDF is made robust against the stochastic nature prevailing in the system conditions, using a stochastic model and an ensembling mechanism. The proposed scheme is implemented using a MATLAB+NS3 co-simulation platform on the IEEE 14-bus system and the New England 39-bus system.