Blockchain-Enabled Security Module for Transforming Conventional Inverters toward Firmware Security-Enhanced Smart Inverters

Ahn, Bohyun; Bere, Gomanth; Ahmad, Seerin; Choi, Joon-Seok; Kim, Taesic; Park, Sung-won

doi:10.1109/ecce47101.2021.9595728

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Malicious controller firmware can be delivered via an overthe-air (OTA) updating process to the network layer of the smart inverter first, then it will be patched into the MCU in controller layer [74]. This controller-firmware attack vector will bring Attacks #8, #9, and #10 in a stealthy way.…”

Section: B Controller Layer Attacksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As most smart inverters are resource-constrainted devices, smart inverter developers need to prioritize the IPs based on their security budget and severity. Besides, additional external security system, such as malware file screening server [74] and blockchain security server [103], can be used to support additional computational resources for M-IP1, HT-IP, CF-IP, CC-IP, and EM-IPs, while smart inverters install APIs accessing the external system.…”

Section: Cyber-resilient Smart Inverter Security By Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Overview of Cyber-Resilient Smart Inverters Based on Practical Attack Models

Ahn,

Kim,

Ahmad

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Power Electron.

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With high penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs), power systems are increasingly transforming into distributed power grids, which provide grid automation, decarbonization, and decentralization of critical assets. Smart inverters are key power-electronic devices that connect renewable energy and energy storage equipment to power grids. DER includes several intelligent grid functions, such as fault ride through, grid-voltage support, and reactive-power compensation, typically with real-time remote access, data exchange, and seamless over-the-air firmware updates in a cyber-physical environment. However, cybersecurity concerns arise due to extensive information exchange among DER and multiple stakeholders (e.g., utilities, aggregators, vendors, operators, and owners). Therefore, smart inverters account for a growing attack surface for the power grid. This article reviews the cybersecurity best practices and current recommendations for smart inverters and explores emerging cyber threats for smart inverters, including malware attacks and hardware attacks. Finally, we propose a new smart inverter security and resilience framework for developing cyber-resilient smart inverters against the advanced/future threat actors. This article establishes a resilience-by-design baseline reference for smart inverter cybersecurity teams, which bridges the gap between cybersecurity and power-electronics' communities.

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Section: B Controller Layer Attacksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Cyber-resilient Smart Inverter Security By Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Overview of Cyber-Resilient Smart Inverters Based on Practical Attack Models

Ahn,

Kim,

Ahmad

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Power Electron.

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“…Finally, a blockchain module (BM) must also be conceived to implement blockchain technology for energy data certification, assuring the traceability, security, and reliability of the commercial transactions [28][29][30]. Its main functions are the certification of the energy data since the blockchain records in an immutable and transparent manner the production feeding into the grid and the external energy demand; data traceability since blockchain transactions trace production data along the entire supply chain, allowing the point source of the energy to be identified; security, as blockchain guarantees data integrity and transaction security, preventing fraud and tampering; and finally, it may provide real-time feedback on the external world energy market status on the PV plant operation [31,32].…”

Section: The General Structure Of a Pv Iot-scadamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Study on an IoT-Based SCADA System for Photovoltaic Utility Plants

Ferlito,

Ippolito,

Santagata

et al. 2024

Electronics

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Large-scale photovoltaic (PV) electricity production plants rely on reliable operation and maintenance (O&M) systems, often operated by means of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) platforms aimed at limiting, as much as possible, the intrinsic volatility of this energy resource. The current trend is to develop SCADAs that achieve the finest possible control of the system components to efficiently and effectively cope with possible energy delivery problems. In this study, we investigated an innovative design of an IoT-based SCADA specifically tailored for large PV systems in which data transmission overheads are reduced by adopting lightweight protocols, and reliable data storage is achieved by means of hybrid solutions that allow the storage of historical data, enabling accurate performance analysis and predictive maintenance protocols. The proposed solution relies on an architecture where independent functional microservices handle specific tasks, ensuring scalability and fault tolerance. The technical approaches for IoT-SCADA connectivity are herein described in detail, comparing different possible technical choices. The proposed IoT-based SCADA is based on edge computing for latency reduction and to enhance real-time decision making, enabling scalability, and centralized management while leveraging cloud services. The resulting hybrid solutions that combine edge and cloud resources offer a balance between responsiveness and scalability. Finally, in the study, a blockchain solution was taken into account to certify energy data, ensuring traceability, security, and reliability in commercial transactions.

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“…sensitive layers of battery management systems, including network, software/firmware, data storage, on-board interface, and hardware layers [120]. Table VII illustrates a comparison of the state-of-the-art (SOA) defense strategies and adopting emerging blockchain-based technologies for a PV system based on [120]. Interested readers are referred to [120] for more details.…”

Section: Network and Firmware Security Detection And Mitigation Metho...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Table VII illustrates a comparison of the state-of-the-art (SOA) defense strategies and adopting emerging blockchain-based technologies for a PV system based on [120]. Interested readers are referred to [120] for more details.…”

Section: Network and Firmware Security Detection And Mitigation Metho...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Cyber–Physical Security for Photovoltaic Systems

You-hai

Giani

Elasser

et al. 2022

IEEE J. Emerg. Sel. Topics Power Electron.

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Blockchain-Enabled Security Module for Transforming Conventional Inverters toward Firmware Security-Enhanced Smart Inverters

Cited by 11 publications

References 13 publications

An Overview of Cyber-Resilient Smart Inverters Based on Practical Attack Models

An Overview of Cyber-Resilient Smart Inverters Based on Practical Attack Models

A Study on an IoT-Based SCADA System for Photovoltaic Utility Plants

A Review of Cyber–Physical Security for Photovoltaic Systems

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