Papers for

power grid security teams

Papers whose findings have a practical use for this group, as judged from the abstract. Open a paper to read what it means in practice.

Safety aware zero trust improves security for connected physical systems

Safety-Aware Zero Trust Enforcement for IoT and Cyber-Physical Systems

Abstract: Zero Trust (ZT) replaces the implicit trust of perimeter-based security with explicit, continuous, context-aware authorization. This shift is particularly relevant to IoT and cyber-physical systems, whose heterogeneous, long-lived, and remotely connected components make persistent trust untenable. Yet their physical coupling complicates ZT adoption: restricting a suspicious component can reduce cyber exposure while removing telemetry or control capabilities required for operation. Existing work mainly models physical harm caused by attacks, with less attention to consequences introduced by enforcement itself. We introduce Safety-Aware Zero Trust (SA-ZT), which treats restriction-induced physical consequences as policy inputs. We map the NIST ZT tenets to nine IoT/CPS convergence strains, distinguish IoT-amplified challenges from those specific to cyber-physical coupling, and derive corresponding operational requirements. SA-ZT extends the NIST ZT Architecture with a Safety Engine and a Telemetry Broker. The Safety Engine selects among admissible responses by jointly considering residual cyber risk and restriction-induced consequences, while the Telemetry Broker mediates raw telemetry visibility and estimator influence. With command-side enforcement, these entities separate raw visibility, automated influence, and state-changing authority, preserving observations for monitoring while constraining their influence on automated control. An IEEE 30-bus case study under false-data-injection attack illustrates how SA-ZT makes cyber containment, telemetry visibility and influence, physical consequences, and authorization timing explicit, providing an implementable and inspectable representation of cyber-physical enforcement trade-offs.

Wed 23 SeptCryptography and Security
The gist
Connected devices and physical systems like power grids need strong security because they are often remote and long-lasting. Traditional security trusts devices inside a network, which can be risky. The authors present a new approach called Safety-Aware Zero Trust that carefully controls device actions by considering both cyber risks and possible physical impacts caused by restricting devices. This method helps keep the system safe without accidentally disrupting important operations. They show how this works using a real-world style test on an electric grid model under attack.
Open → 2609.28170v1

Cybersecurity challenges and standards for smart power grids

Cybersecurity in Power Grids: Standards and Research Challenges

Abstract: This paper examines Smart Grid cybersecurity, emphasizing the critical distinctions between IT and OT environments. It analyzes grid architecture, substation threats, and key international standards, specifically IEC 62351, IEC 62443, and ISO 27001. Finally, it overviews latest research trends, including AI-driven threat detection.

Tue 15 SeptCryptography and Security
The gist
Power grids that use smart technology need strong security to keep electricity flowing safely. This paper explains how cybersecurity in these grids is different from typical computer systems because power grids combine both IT (information technology) and OT (operational technology). It discusses the risks at substations where power is controlled and describes important international rules that help protect these systems. The paper also looks at current research, including how artificial intelligence can help spot cyber threats.
Open → 2609.16928v1