Project description

Grid Digital Transformation data takes advantage of real-time capabilities to accommodate the more dynamic pattern of consumption and generation at the Low Voltage (LV) levels, the intermittent nature of renewable generation, and consumer engagement with the grid. These circumstances indicate the sector's shift to a new paradigm that requires adapting existing and emerging capabilities and business procedures to ensure that grid security, dependability, resilience, and quality of service remain essential goals as we tackle the challenges ahead.

The most promising energy and information transfer approach is the vehicle to grid (V2G). Electric vehicles connect wirelessly to smart meters to form the V2G network. Even though V2G networks established various security-preserving mechanisms, they were nevertheless vulnerable to many security breaches. Although numerous efforts have been made, V2G network security methods are ineffective. In contrast to the long-term viability of legacy and modern control system components, cyber threats arrive and vanish regularly. New sorts of cyberattacks, originating from various threat actors, develop near-daily. Global threat actors, including nation-state players with significant resources, also enter the picture.

This work effort summarises the threat characteristics, risks on services, and security challenges of V2G networks, emphasizing risk prioritisation. In addition, this work provides an overview of some of the most common adversarial scenarios applicable and their assessment against various security services, such as accessibility, confidentiality, authentication, integrity, and non-repudiation, as well as the measuring the efficacy of existing controls deployed in these environments. Working on this programme requires analysing risks in terms of impact, probability, dependencies, and timeframes and prioritising risks to help the UK National Grid make decisions.

We anticipate outcomes from this work to feed directly into the research informed-teaching activities in the MSc Cyber security management as follows:

1. Provide updates with particular case studies in the Proactive Cyber Defence module in our L7 course
2. Identify threat modelling tools and cyber risks that can update the teaching curriculum at the DST module managing Cyber Risks
3. Provide real-life examples as part of the teaching in our cybersecurity courses, particularly in Cyber risk management
4. Introduce the material for new/updated coursework across at least 3 modules in the MSc portfolio of courses

Duties and responsibilities

Conduct a literature survey on cyber threats and risks associated with V2G

Identify risk-related events and cyber observables contributing to risk events in V2G

Conduct interviews and focus groups with industry stakeholders as part of the study

Apply for this project

Use the form below to apply for this project.

You must be signed in to submit your application and to receive a confirmation email.