Penetration Testing in Wind Farms: Detection and Impact Analysis

Wind farms are critical cyberphysical infrastructures that require robust security measures to withstand cyber threats. This paper simulates real-world cyber-attack scenarios that target wind turbine stability by manipulating pitch angle and yaw control systems operated through Programmable Logic Controllers. Four different cyber attacks are executed as part of penetration testing exercises against wind turbines, three of which are developed using the pyModbusTCP library, while the last is leveraged using the mbtget tool. Furthermore, the detection capabilities of three widely adopted network-based intrusion detection system (IDS) solutions are evaluated. Then, we propose IDS signatures to enhance the detection capabilities of IDS solutions against these specific cyber attacks that alter wind speed data, potentially manipulating the pitch angle and causing physical impacts on the power system. Moreover, case studies assess the physical impact of cyber-attacks on wind turbine stability and power system performance. The findings revealed that signature-based IDS solutions are insufficient for detecting the modeled attacks, which could result in physical instability in wind turbines. Therefore, refined signatures should be developed and deployed in modern IDS solutions to enhance the resilience of infrastructures like wind farms.