RTAP: A Real-Time Model for Attack Detection and Prediction in Smart Grid Systems

One main challenge of smart grid systems is the cascading failures caused by cyber-attacks, which can affect the power and communication networks. Many testbeds have been proposed to model the impact of cyber-attacks on these two networks; however, many lack a realistic propagation model or simulate real-time behavior. In this paper, we develop a novel real-time testbed that models both the power and communication networks to analyze cyber-attacks’ impacts on smart grid systems. Our proposed testbed can model various cyber-attacks on both networks and analyze the propagation of failure within the system. To create a realistic model of smart grid systems, we utilize real-time simulators and implement a failure propagation model. Using this testbed, we propose a prediction model to detect and predict failures after cyber-attacks have impacted the system. This model can detect cyber-attacks in the early stages of failure propagation and predict the state of each power and communication component following the propagation. We prove this model is realistic using the failure propagation factor and validate its effectiveness by employing an IEEE 14-bus test case, showcasing its high accuracy in detecting various types of attacks.