SDN-based Mitigation of Synchronization Attacks on Distributed and Cooperative Controls in Microgrid

The power grid has recently evolved through the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), leading to the emergence of the smart grid. A key component of the smart grid is the microgrid, a small-scale electrical network made of Distributed Generators (DGs) that nowadays use distributed and cooperative control systems to ensure the reliability of its operations. However, the communication networks employed to control data exchange between DGs are subject to synchronization attacks that can disrupt grid operations. These existing communication infrastructures often lack the flexibility to deploy efficient mitigation and security measures against attacks. Software-Defined Networking (SDN) emerges as a promising solution, providing a dynamic and resilient approach to mitigate synchronization attacks. In this work, we build an SDN-enabled microgrid hardware platform comprising DGs, Open vSwitches (OVSs) installed on Raspberry Pi devices, and a POX controller running on a laptop. In the demo, we will show two methods of mitigating Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks to demonstrate the effectiveness of SDN in limiting their impact on the microgrid.