ECpE Faculty Seminar

Manimaran Govindarasu
Manimaran Govindarasu

Seminar: Cyber-Physical Systems Security of Smart Grid

Speaker: Professor Manimaran Govindarasu

Date: September 19, 2011

Time: 1:10 to 2 p.m.

Location: 3043 ECpE Building Addition

Abstract: The electric power grid is a highly automated network that uses a variety of sensors, information/control systems, and communication networks (collectively known as SCADA, EMS, DMS) for the purpose of sensing, monitoring, protection, and control functions of the physical grid. The recent findings, as documented in federal reports and in the literature, indicate the growing threat of cyber-based attacks in numbers and sophistication on our nation’s electric grid. Therefore, cyber security of the power grid—encompassing attack prevention, detection, mitigation, and resilience—is among the most important research issues today.

This talk will provide a brief taxonomy of potential cyber attacks on the power grid, and present a cyber-physical systems framework for risk modeling and mitigation of cyber attacks on the power grid that accounts for dynamics of the physical system, as well as the operational aspects of the cyber-based control system. In particular, the talk will focus on risk modeling of intrusion-based attacks on the substation automation system and data integrity attacks on the wide-area control network. Finally, the talk will conclude with discussing the experience in building a SCADA cyber security testbed and its operational capabilities.

Speaker bio: Dr. Manimaran Govindarasu is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University. His research expertise is in the areas of cyber security, cyber security of smart grid, and real-time systems. He recently has developed a cyber security testbed for smart grid to conduct attack-defense evaluations and develop robust countermeasures against cyber attacks. He serves on the editorial board of IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, as the Chair of Cyber Security Task Force, and Vice-Chair of IEEE Power & Energy Society PSACE-CAMS Subcommittee. His research currently is funded by NSF and EPRC.

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