Introducing the Cybersecurity Toolbox: A Modeling Framework for Smart Grid Security

Recent cyber-attacks successfully launched on electricity infrastructure reveal the need to harden protection measures. Intelligent power grids, so-called smart grids, are highly distributed, and involve diverse stakeholders and devices. This makes the managing their cybersecurity challenging, requiring a concisely defined, well-structured, and widely applicable strategy. The results of cybersecurity analysis must be consistently captured to enable seamless collaboration between stakeholders having common interest in enhancing the grid's resilience. In response, we present a model-based approach utilizing a domain-specific language, the Cybersecurity Toolbox. Its metamodel conforms to the Meta-Object Facility and is based on consolidated ontologies of widespread cybersecurity standards. The modeling language stands out by its ease of use grounded in a robust but extensible formal foundation. Furthermore, it is designed for broad interoperability with common cybersecurity analysis methodologies and tools, enabling it to function as a centralized hub for consolidating system-level cybersecurity findings. We demonstrate the toolbox's capabilities on a publicly available attack scenario. Ultimately, the Cybersecurity Toolbox can strengthen smart grids' resilience by holistically managing security concerns in a security-by-design approach.