Real-time detection of packet drop attacks on synchrophasor data

Abstract

The importance of phasor measurement unit (PMU) or synchrophasor data towards the functioning of real-time monitoring and control of power generation and distribution systems makes them an attractive target for cyber-attacks. An attack with potential for significant damage is the packet drop attack, where the adversary arbitrarily drops packets with synchrophasor data. This paper develops a real-time mechanism for detecting packet drop attacks on synchrophasor data carried over the Internet. The proposed solution is receiver-based, and uses the one-way packet delays to extract features that are used to detect attacks. The proposed attack detection mechanism leads to lower detection delays and greater accuracy as compared to existing mechanisms.