Cyber-Attacks Related to Intelligent Electronic Devices and Their Countermeasures: A Review

Intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) are deployed in power systems to facilitate advanced automation for controlling critical equipment. Once an IED is compromised, attackers can seize the control of the physical entities in substations. They may interrupt the normal functioning of switch devices, sabotage primary equipment and manipulate measurements to impact the stability of power supply. If multiple correlative attacks are launched simultaneously, attackers may even cause cascading failures, whose consequences are often catastrophic. In this paper, a systematic review of cyber-attacks related to IEDs and their countermeasures is provided. By retrieving relevant research, the information including potential threat vectors, attack types, and defense countermeasures are analyzed. The primary purpose of this paper is to remind the researchers and engineers of up-to-date attacks and to inspire studies on countermeasures to protect IEDs and ensure power system cybersecurity.