Using Deep Learning for Detecting Mirroring Attacks on Smart Grid PMU Networks

• Published in: 2022 International Balkan Conference on Communications and Networking (BalkanCom) pp. 84 - 89
• Main Authors: Korkmaz, Yusuf, Huseinovic, Alvin, Bisgin, Halil, Mrdovic, Sasa, Uludag, Suleyman
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 22.08.2022
• Subjects: Classification algorithms; CNN; Computer crime; Convolutional neural networks; Deep learning; Mirroring Attack; Phasor measurement units; PMU; PMU forged data; PMU Spoofing; Protocols; Smart grids
• DOI: 10.1109/BalkanCom55633.2022.9900658

Similar to any spoof detection systems, power grid monitoring systems and devices are subject to various cyberattacks by determined and well-funded adversaries. Many well-publicized real-world cyberattacks on power grid systems have been publicly reported. Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) networks with Phasor Data Concentrators (PDCs) are the main building blocks of the overall wide area monitoring and situational awareness systems in the power grid. The data between PMUs and PDC(s) are sent through the legacy networks, which are subject to many attack scenarios under with no, or inadequate, countermeasures in protocols, such as IEEE 37.118-2. In this paper, we consider a stealthier data spoofing attack against PMU networks, called a mirroring attack, where an adversary basically injects a copy of a set of packets in reverse order immediately following their original positions, wiping out the correct values. To the best of our knowledge, for the first time in the literature, we consider a more challenging attack both in terms of the strategy and the lower percentage of spoofed attacks. As part of our countermeasure detection scheme, we make use of novel framing approach to make application of a 2D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based approach which avoids the computational overhead of the classical sample-based classification algorithms. Our experimental evaluation results show promising results in terms of both high accuracy and true positive rates even under the aforementioned stealthy adversarial attack scenarios.