Operational Issues on Adaptive Protection of Microgrids Due to Cyber Attacks

This brief shows how false data injection attacks (FDIAs) affect adaptive projection in microgrids. Specifically, we implemented a directional over-current relay in the CIGRE low voltage benchmark system to carry out experiments to manipulate protection decisions via cyber-attacks. The aim of the newly proposed cyber-attack is to cause false relay tripping and unbalanced conditions in microgrid that can result in power outages and blackouts. The proposed study has been validated on commercial relays using a real-time digital simulator equipped with the IEC 61850 standard communication protocol. These results allow the power systems engineers to understand the cyber-physical interactions more closely and adapt their protection schemes accordingly.