A Data Masking-based Moving Target Defense Framework for Distributed Secondary Frequency Control in Microgrids

Communication and data-sharing networks are fundamental to secondary control systems in inverter-interfaced microgrids. This extensive information exchange introduces significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities and data privacy challenges. To address these concerns, we propose a Moving Target Defense via Data Masking (MTDM) framework—a non-disruptive privacy-enhancing mechanism that employs local time-varying output masks to protect sensitive data while maintaining efficient micro-grid performance. Our distributed secondary control approach implements these dynamic output masks to enhance the privacy of sensitive operational data. Theoretical analysis, along with verification studies, illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed MTDM-based distributed secondary frequency control approach.