MRI:Acquisition of a Network Emulator for Cyber Security Research of Electric Power Grids

该NSF MRI项目旨在为购买网络通信和网络攻击联合模拟工具寻求资金，以提高新墨西哥大学(UNM)及其合作者的电网网络安全研究能力。该项目将通过设计和创建用于电网的网络攻击检测和缓解算法和技术，为保障国防安全带来革命性的变化。这将通过利用所要求的联合模拟工具来实现，该工具有助于对网络系统进行高保真和可扩展的建模。该项目的学术价值包括对分布式控制体系结构、保护系统、先进的计量基础设施和相量测量单元进行网络安全研究。此外，所要求的联合仿真工具将用于研究电网网络攻击的社会影响。该项目的更广泛影响包括提高了联合国大学及其合作者的网络安全研究能力和竞争力，加强了现有课程和新课程的开发，代表不足的学生参与了研究，以及K-12外联活动。由于微电网分布式控制、能源管理系统以及广域保护、控制和监测等不同应用的通信和控制技术的部署，现代电力系统面临着高度的网络威胁。要对电网这样的大规模网络物理系统(CPS)的网络安全进行研究，不可能应用、研究和分析针对真实系统的网络攻击。为了有效地研究和分析电网中的网络威胁，一个能够同时仿真物理层(即电力系统)和网络层(即通信网络)的实时半实物协同仿真平台是至关重要的。所要求的联合仿真工具将为我们提供一个可扩展的解决方案，以在数字孪生平台中仿真电网的网络层，并进行各种不同的网络安全研究。联合仿真工具将为扩大与行业、国家实验室和其他大学在电网网络安全领域的合作研究活动奠定基础。这一工具将被不同机构的多个学院及其学生和博士后研究员用于教育和研究活动。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF MRI project aims to seek funding for purchasing network communication and cyber-attack co-simulation tool to increase the power grid’s cybersecurity research capacity at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and its collaborators. The project will bring transformative change to secure the national defense by designing and creating cyber-attack detection and mitigation algorithms and techniques for power grids. This will be achieved by utilizing the requested co-simulation tool which facilitates high-fidelity and scalable modeling of cyber systems. The intellectual merits of the project include performing cybersecurity studies on the distributed control architectures, protection systems, advanced metering infrastructure, and phasor measurement units. Moreover, the requested co-simulation tool will be utilized to study the societal impacts of power grid cyber-attacks. The broader impacts of the project include enhanced cybersecurity research capability and competitiveness at UNM and its collaborators, enhancement of existing and development of new courses, research involvement of underrepresented students, and K-12 outreach. Modern power systems are highly exposed to cyber threats due to the deployment of communication and control technologies for different applications like microgrid distributed control, energy management systems, as well as wide-area protection, control, and monitoring. To perform research on the cybersecurity of a large-scale cyber-physical system (CPS) like a power grid, it is impossible to apply, study, and analyze cyber-attacks on a real system. To effectively study and analyze cyber threats in power grids, a real-time hardware-in-the-loop co-simulation platform that can simulate both the physical (i.e., power system) and cyber (i.e., communication network) layers is of paramount value. The requested co-simulation tool will provide us with a scalable solution to emulate the cyber layer of power grids in a digital twin platform and conduct a variety of different cybersecurity studies. The co-simulation tool will set the foundation for extending collaborative research activities with industry, national laboratories, and other universities in the area of power grid cybersecurity. This tool will be utilized by multiple faculties and their students and postdoctoral fellows across different institutions for education and research activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.