@article {AlcarazLopezWolthusen2017, title = {OCPP Protocol: Security Threats and Challenges}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid}, volume = {8}, year = {2017}, month = {02/2017}, pages = {2452 - 2459}, publisher = {IEEE}, abstract = {

One benefit postulated for the adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs) is their\ ability to act as stabilizing entities in smart grids through bi-directional charging,\ allowing local or global smoothing of peaks and imbalances. This benefit,\ however, hinges indirectly on the reliability and security of the power flows\ thus achieved. Therefore this paper studies key security properties of the alreadydeployed\ Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) specifying communication between\ charging points and energy management systems. It is argued that possible subversion\ or malicious endpoints in the protocol can also lead to destabilization of\ power networks. Whilst reviewing these aspects, we focus, from a theoretical and\ practical standpoint, on attacks that interfere with resource reservation originating\ with the EV, which may also be initiated by a man in the middle, energy theft or\ fraud. Such attacks may even be replicated widely, resulting in over- or undershooting\ of power network provisioning, or the (total/partial) disintegration of the\ integrity and stability of power networks.

}, keywords = {Charging Infrastructure, Cyber Security, Cyber- Physical Systems, OCPP, Smart Grid}, issn = {1949-3053 }, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1109/TSG.2017.2669647}, author = {Cristina Alcaraz and Javier Lopez and Stephen Wolthunsen} } @inproceedings {1600, title = {Selecting Privacy Solutions to Prioritise Control in Smart Metering Systems}, booktitle = {The 11th International Conference on Critical Information Infrastructures Security}, volume = {10242}, year = {2017}, pages = {176-188}, abstract = {

The introduction of the Smart Grid brings with it several benefits to society, because its bi-directional communication allows both users and utilities to have better control over energy usage. However, it also has some privacy issues with respect to the privacy of the customers when analysing their consumption data. In this paper we review the main privacy-preserving techniques that have been proposed and compare their efficiency, to accurately select the most appropriate ones for undertaking control operations. Both privacy and performance are essential for the rapid adoption of Smart Grid technologies.

}, keywords = {and Metering, Control, Data privacy, Smart Grid}, author = {Juan E. Rubio and Cristina Alcaraz and Javier Lopez} } @article {alcaraz2013b, title = {WASAM: A Dynamic Wide-Area Situational Awareness Model for Critical Domains in Smart Grids}, journal = {Future Generation Computer Systems}, volume = {30}, year = {2014}, pages = {146-154}, publisher = {Elsevier}, abstract = {

Control from anywhere and at anytime is nowadays a matter of paramount importance in\ critical systems. This is the case of the Smart Grid and its domains which should be monitored through\ intelligent and dynamic mechanisms able to anticipate, detect and respond before disruptions arise\ within the system. Given this fact and its importance for social welfare and the economy, a model for\ wide-area situational awareness is proposed in this paper. The model is based on a set of current\ technologies such as the wireless sensor networks, the ISA100.11a standard and cloud-computing\ together with a set of high-level functional services. These services include global and local support for\ prevention through a simple forecast scheme, detection of anomalies in the observation tasks,\ response to incidents, tests of accuracy and maintenance, as well as recovery of states and control in\ crisis situations.

}, keywords = {Cloud Computing, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Smart Grid, Wide-Area Situational Awareness, wireless sensor networks}, issn = {0167-739X}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2013.06.030}, author = {Cristina Alcaraz and Javier Lopez} } @article {Alcaraz2011, title = {An Early Warning System based on Reputation for Energy Control Systems}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid}, volume = {2}, number = {4}, year = {2011}, month = {Nov 2011}, pages = {827-834}, publisher = {IEEE}, abstract = {

Most of energy control or SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems are very dependent on advanced technologies and on traditional security mechanisms for protecting the a system against anomalous events. Security mechanisms are not enough to be used in critical systems, since they can only detect anomalous events occurring at a certain moment in time. For this reason it becomes of paramount importance the usage of intelligent systems with capability for preventing anomalous situations and reacting against them on time. This type of systems are, for example, Early Warning Systems (EWS). In this paper, we propose an EWS based on Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) (under the ISA100.11a standard) and reputation for controling the network behaviour. The WSN are organized into clusters where a Cluster Head (CH) is designated. This CH will contain a Reputation Manager Module. The usability of this approach is also analyzed considering a Smart Grid scenario.} keywords = {Critical Information Infrastructures, Sensor Networks, Early Warning Systems, Reputation, SCADA Systems, Smart Grid.

}, keywords = {Early Warning Systems, Reputation, SCADA Systems, Smart Grid, wireless sensor networks}, issn = {1949-3053}, doi = {10.1109/TSG.2011.2161498}, author = {Cristina Alcaraz and Carmen Fernandez-Gago and Javier Lopez} } @inproceedings {1643, title = {Managing Incidents in Smart Grids {\`a} la Cloud}, booktitle = {IEEE CloudCom 2011}, year = {2011}, month = {Nov-Dec 2011}, pages = {527-531}, publisher = {IEEE Computer Society}, organization = {IEEE Computer Society}, address = {Athens, Greece}, abstract = {

During the last decade, the Cloud Computing paradigm has emerged as a panacea for many problems in traditional IT infrastructures. Much has been said about the potential of Cloud Computing in the Smart Grid context, but unfortunately it is still relegated to a second layer when it comes to critical systems. Although the advantages of outsourcing those kind of applications to the cloud is clear, data confidentiality and operational privacy stand as mayor drawbacks. In this paper, we try to give some hints on which security mechanisms and more specific, which cryptographic schemes, will help a better integration of Smart Grids and Clouds. We propose the use of Virtual SCADA in the Cloud (VS-Cloud) as a mean to improve reliability and efficiency whilst maintaining the same protection level as in traditional SCADA architectures.

}, keywords = {Cloud Computing, Cryptography, Incident Management, SCADA Systems, Searchable Encryption, Smart Grid}, isbn = {978-0-7695-4622-3}, doi = {10.1109/CloudCom.2011.79}, author = {Cristina Alcaraz and Isaac Agudo and David Nu{\~n}ez and Javier Lopez} }