Unmasking Stealthy Attacks on Nonlinear DAE Models of Power Grids

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Albustami, Abdallah Alalem, Taha, Ahmad F., Bou-Harb, Elias
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Albustami, Abdallah Alalem
Taha, Ahmad F.
Bou-Harb, Elias
author_facet Albustami, Abdallah Alalem
Taha, Ahmad F.
Bou-Harb, Elias
contents Smart grids are inherently susceptible to various types of malicious cyberattacks that have all been documented in the recent literature. Traditional cybersecurity research on power systems often utilizes simplified models that fail to capture the interactions between dynamic and steady-state behaviors, potentially underestimating the impact of cyber threats. This paper presents the first attempt to design and assess stealthy false data injection attacks (FDIAs) against nonlinear differential algebraic equation (NDAE) models of power networks. NDAE models, favored in industry for their ability to accurately capture both dynamic and steady-state behaviors, provide a more accurate representation of power system behavior by coupling dynamic and algebraic states. We propose novel FDIA strategies that simultaneously evade both dynamic and static intrusion detection systems while respecting the algebraic power flow and operational constraints inherent in NDAE models. We demonstrate how the coupling between dynamic and algebraic states in NDAE models significantly restricts the attacker's ability to manipulate state estimates while maintaining stealthiness. This highlights the importance of using more comprehensive power system models in cybersecurity analysis and reveals potential vulnerabilities that may be overlooked in simplified representations. The proposed attack strategies are validated through simulations on the IEEE 39-bus system.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_21146
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
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spellingShingle Unmasking Stealthy Attacks on Nonlinear DAE Models of Power Grids
Albustami, Abdallah Alalem
Taha, Ahmad F.
Bou-Harb, Elias
Systems and Control
Smart grids are inherently susceptible to various types of malicious cyberattacks that have all been documented in the recent literature. Traditional cybersecurity research on power systems often utilizes simplified models that fail to capture the interactions between dynamic and steady-state behaviors, potentially underestimating the impact of cyber threats. This paper presents the first attempt to design and assess stealthy false data injection attacks (FDIAs) against nonlinear differential algebraic equation (NDAE) models of power networks. NDAE models, favored in industry for their ability to accurately capture both dynamic and steady-state behaviors, provide a more accurate representation of power system behavior by coupling dynamic and algebraic states. We propose novel FDIA strategies that simultaneously evade both dynamic and static intrusion detection systems while respecting the algebraic power flow and operational constraints inherent in NDAE models. We demonstrate how the coupling between dynamic and algebraic states in NDAE models significantly restricts the attacker's ability to manipulate state estimates while maintaining stealthiness. This highlights the importance of using more comprehensive power system models in cybersecurity analysis and reveals potential vulnerabilities that may be overlooked in simplified representations. The proposed attack strategies are validated through simulations on the IEEE 39-bus system.
title Unmasking Stealthy Attacks on Nonlinear DAE Models of Power Grids
topic Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.21146