Understanding a Power Grid’s Cyber-Physical Interdependence Through Higher-order Motifs

Huang, H., Poor, H. V., Flynn, D. and Al-Muhaini, M. (2024) Understanding a Power Grid’s Cyber-Physical Interdependence Through Higher-order Motifs. In: 2024 IEEE Power & Energy Society Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference (ISGT), Washington, DC, USA, 19-22 Feb 2024, ISBN 9798350313604 (doi: 10.1109/isgt59692.2024.10454228)

Abstract

Power grid consists of interconnected cyber and physical networks. The complexity of which is increasing as a result several factors including: the convergence of low carbon technologies, the increased coupling of other critical networks, and a need for new distributed control and forecasting capabilities. These trends are creating unprecedented complexity in our critical networks, as well as introducing new threats to their functionalities. Hence, the network design is crucial to ensure the power grid’s inherent security and resilience. Given its multilayered nature, this necessitates an understanding of the interdependence between cyber and physical networks. However, the heterogeneity between these networks makes it challenging to holistically analyze the power grid’s cyber-physical architecture without losing granularity. To address this, higher-order motifs, defined as small connected subgraphs, can be employed to disclose the topological interdependence of heterogeneous networks at a local level. This paper uses an augmented cyber-physical WSCC 9-Bus System to investigate its 4-node motif patterns under different cyber attack scenarios. Certain 4-node motifs demonstrate their necessity to secure power grid functionality.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Additional Information: The authors would like to acknowledge the National Science Foundation under Grant 2039716, a grant from the C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute, and the EPSRC grant EP/X038823/1 for their support.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Flynn, Professor David
• Authors: Huang, H., Poor, H. V., Flynn, D., and Al-Muhaini, M.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Autonomous Systems and Connectivity
• Journal Name: 2024 IEEE Power & Energy Society Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference (ISGT)
• Publisher: IEEE
• ISSN: 2472-8152
• ISBN: 9798350313604
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2024 IEEE
• First Published: First published in Proceedings of the 2024 IEEE Power & Energy Society Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference (ISGT)
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy