Analysis of E-Mobility-based Threats to Power Grid Resilience

Abstract

The increasing complexity of the e-mobility infrastructure leads to an increasing risk of security threats, which may negatively affect any connected infrastructures such as the power grid. The grid is one of the most important critical infrastructures, making it a valuable target for cyber attacks. This situation gives rise to the potential of e-mobility-based attacks to the grid, e.g., causing large-scale black outs based on a sudden increase in charging demand. In this paper, we propose a framework for simulating and analyzing the impact of e-mobility-based attacks on grid resilience. We derive e-mobility-specific attacks, based on an analysis of adversaries and threats, and combine these attacks in our framework with models for grid and e-mobility as well as simulation-based outage analysis. In different case studies, the effects of e-mobility-based attacks on grid resilience are evaluated. The results show, e.g., the scope of increased vulnerability during peak load hours, enabling attacks even at low levels of e-mobility compromise, the increased impact of combined attack strategies, and the time from attack to outage, which may decrease to sub-second ranges for high levels of e-mobility growth and compromise. We further discuss potential protection mechanisms for different resilience objectives including approaches for detection, prevention, and response. This work thus provides the basis for comprehensive resilience research regarding the interconnection of e-mobility and grid.