Page 22 - Cyber Defense eMagazine August 2024

Cybersecurity In Critical Infrastructure: Protecting Power Grids

and Smart Grids

By Kehinde Ayano, Assistant Professor of Computer and information Science, Indiana Wesleyan
University Marion Indiana USA

Infrastructure like water system, supply system, telecommunication networks, and power plants are crit-
ical assets for any country in that the destruction and incapacity of such systems poses an adverse effect
on security, economy, health, and overall welfare and existence of any country. The integration of digital
and cyber warfare into traditional warfare has necessitated the need to adequately secure those critical
infrastructures as they become top target by state actors in case of conflict and war.

Most systems in modern society are electricity driven which makes power and smart grids very crucial
as they underpin nearly all other critical infrastructure. A successful attack on this infrastructure will have
a cascading effect on all other critical infrastructures. This article discusses the evolution of power grids,
threat landscape and vulnerabilities in power and smart grids. It also examines real world case studies
of cyber- attacks on power and smart grids analyzing the incidents and concludes with security strategies
and best practices for protecting power and smart grids.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – August 2024 Edition 22
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