Enhancing Cybersecurity in Power Communication Networks: An Approach to Resilient CPPS Through Channel Expansion and Defense Resource Allocation

This chapter addresses the escalating cybersecurity challenges faced by modern Power Communication Networks (PCNs) within Cyber-Physical Power Systems (CPPS). As technological advancements enhance operational efficiency, they also increase the vulnerability of energy systems to cyberattacks. Notable incidents, such as the 2015 power outage in Ukraine, the 2016 cyber-incident involving the Israeli Electricity Authority, and the 2019 sabotage of the Venezuelan power grid, underscore the severity of these threats. This chapter proposes an integrated strategy focusing on network planning, attack-defense mechanisms, and resource optimization to mitigate these challenges. It begins with a planning framework that integrates operational efficiency with cybersecurity considerations, employing game theory. This framework includes a typical process-specific topology planning model and an uncertainty-based model for cybersecurity planning. Both models are optimized using an enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm and validated through theoretical analysis and practical applications. The chapter further categorizes common cyberattacks, such as Denial-of-Service (DoS), Man-in-the-Middle (MITM), and Sniffer Attacks (SAs), analyzing their mechanisms and impacts on network vulnerabilities. It emphasizes the importance of a multifaceted defense strategy by correlating defense measures with security indices—resistibility, recognizability, and recoverability. Lastly, the chapter focuses on the survivability of communication and information systems, developing a method for defensive resource allocation. This involves decomposing critical power operations into atomic services, defining survivability indices, and utilizing a modified genetic algorithm to optimize resource allocation in a simulated CPPS environment.