Theses and Dissertations Collection

Securing smart grid [SG] is an essential part of power operations. In last few years,

cyber security of SG has emerged as a critical issue because of the exponential growth in

number of devices added in communication network. Such a heavy dependence on new

technologies make SG to surrender in front of potential vulnerabilities associated with the

new components which are not built with security in mind. The complexity and hetero

geneity of components introduce new challenges in terms of security and privacy. With the

demand of constant availability of power and complex interaction between components,

experts possess tedious task to find vulnerabilities and threats in the communication

network. Weakness in cyber security of power system is also threating for the physical

security as both are deeply integrated with each other. With the complex networking of

SG, it is almost impossible to secure every single node. Therefore, communication net

work needs constant monitoring and analysis of traffic to detect abnormal activities. To

conquer security challenges, various techniques have been implemented in every aspect

of SG, from implementing new architecture to upgrading control center, and deploying

new secure components in Advanced Metering Infrastructure [AMI].To contribute into

security of SG, we present a research which deals with threats in power systems and ana

lyzes the impacts of these threats on control center, advanced metering infrastructure and

customers. Before predicting the impact, simulated model is implemented using network

simulator NS3. A model represents the communication network consist of nodes in Con

trol Center and AMI, where substation node is transmitting data to control center node.

The results of simulation are captured in the pcap files which can be analyze to conclude

smooth working of smart grid