Towards implementing scalable and reconfigurable SCADA security testbed in power system environment

Abstract

The Stuxnet appears to be the very first cyber-attack upon industrial control systems. It has forced cybersecurity providers to put a lot of attention on outdated and obsolete security countermeasures of existing critical infrastructure systems due to the poor protection and security. Investigation of the effect of an attack upon the actual system is neither recommended due to the unintended consequences nor feasible on a replicated system, mainly due to the cost and the effort involved. Therefore, the SCADA cybersecurity researchers mostly rely on developing realistic SCADA testbeds for cybersecurity exercises. With that, this paper serves three goals; first, to present an overview of the electrical power grid SCADA system, as well as to describe the potential vulnerabilities and threats. Second, this paper pinpoints varied testbed research application areas, implementation requirements, and design approaches. Lastly, a scalable and reconfigurable SCADA testbed is proposed for cybersecurity practices. Copyright © 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.