Tracking smart grid hackers

Abstract

The next-generation smart grid will rely highly on telecommunications infrastructure for data transfer between various systems. Anywhere we have data transfer in a system is a potential security threat. When we consider the possibility of smart grid data being at the heart of our critical systems infrastructure it is imperative that we do all we can to ensure the confidentiality, availability and integrity of the data. A discussion on security itself is outside the scope of this paper, but if we assume the network to be as secure as possible we must consider what we can do to detect when that security fails, or when the attacks comes from the inside of the network. One way to do this is to setup a hacker-trap, or honeypot. A honeypot is a device or service on a network which appears legitimate, but is in-fact a trap setup to catch breech attempts. This paper identifies the different types of honeypot and describes where each may be used. The authors have setup a test honeypot system which has been live for some time. The test system has been setup to emulate a device on a utility network. The system has had many hits, which are described in detail by the authors. Finally, the authors discuss how larger-scale systems in utilities may benefit from honeypot placement.