Detecting Malicious Manipulation of Synchrophasor Data

The electrical grid is one of the critical infrastructures of any country whose importance makes them an attractive target for malicious cyber attacks. This paper considers the particular case of data modification attacks in smart grids, where the data generated by Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) is modified by the adversary in order to introduce errors in the monitoring and control applications that rely on PMU data. The proposed methodology is based on evaluating the equivalent impedance of a transmission line from buses at its either end. The deviations in the magnitude and angle of the equivalent impedances in the presence of a data modification attack are used to detect the attack. Extensive simulations using real PMU data are used to verify the accuracy of the proposed detection mechanism.