Analysis of EVCS Switching Attack Impact on Power Grid Operation

As the Electric Vehicle (EV) and Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS) footprint continues to grow, the electrical grid faces a new wave of security threats. Existing attack strategies such as switching attacks benefit from a new class of vectors. Preliminary investigations of the impact of EVCS-based switching attacks exist and detection methodologies have been conducted but make assumptions about load availability and composition. This paper 1) analyzes EVCS-based switching attacks to identify the impact on the power grid caused by different load characteristics and 2) investigates the impact of real-world constraints on attack feasibility and strategy. Combining the two demonstrates the true challenges not only faced by attackers, but with defending the new cyber-physical grid, as threat actors endlessly work to develop or alter strategies to bypass detection and protection mechanisms.