CYBER SECURITY FOR POWER GRIDS: THREATS, MITIGATION, AND FUTURE OUTLOOK

Cybersecurity is often confused with information security, although the latter focuses on human involvement, while the former sees individuals as potential targets and considers this an additional dimension. Cybersecurity discussions highlight important ethical issues impacting society and have led to the development of various frameworks addressing challenges like workforce development and personal data protection. This paper reviews these models, their limitations, and past mitigation techniques while offering future research recommendations. It explores vulnerabilities in wireless communication systems, the evolving nature of cyberattacks, quantum cryptography, and advanced key management schemes. Furthermore, it emphasizes the growing cybersecurity risks in power grids due to the integration of computing and communication capabilities into cyber-physical systems (CPS). A notable example is the 2015 cyberattack on Ukraine’s power grid, illustrating the urgent need for improved security. This paper presents a comprehensive review of cybersecurity standards, emerging threats, and challenges in power systems.