Cyber-Attacks and Mitigation in Blockchain Based Transactive Energy Systems

Carlos Barreto, Taha Eghtesad, Scott Eisele, Aron Laszka, Abhishek Dubey, Xenofon Koutsoukos

3rd IEEE International Conference on IndustrialCyber-Physical Systems (ICPS 2020) 2020

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Why This Matters

Blockchain-based transactive energy systems enable decentralized energy trading but introduce new security vulnerabilities and operational risks. Understanding how attackers could exploit these systems is essential for designing robust mechanisms that maintain market integrity even under adversarial conditions. This work is innovative because it systematically analyzes attack vectors specific to blockchain-based energy markets and demonstrates the importance of considering cybersecurity alongside operational efficiency in decentralized energy systems.

What We Did

This paper addresses cyber-attacks and mitigation strategies in blockchain-based transactive energy systems where distributed energy resources participate in peer-to-peer electricity trading. The work identifies vulnerabilities in blockchain-based market mechanisms and proposes attack scenarios that could disrupt market operations. The analysis considers scenarios where attackers can compromise gateway nodes, delay trading bids, and disrupt the blockchain consensus mechanism.

Key Results

The analysis identifies critical vulnerabilities in blockchain-based transactive energy systems and demonstrates how delays in trading bids and gateway compromise could affect market equilibrium. Results show that certain attack scenarios can increase generator profits while reducing overall market efficiency. The work highlights the need for additional security mechanisms and careful system design to ensure that blockchain-based energy markets remain robust against cyber threats.

Full Abstract

Cite This Paper

@inproceedings{barretocyber2020,
  author = {Barreto, Carlos and Eghtesad, Taha and Eisele, Scott and Laszka, Aron and Dubey, Abhishek and Koutsoukos, Xenofon},
  booktitle = {3rd IEEE International Conference on IndustrialCyber-Physical Systems (ICPS 2020)},
  title = {Cyber-Attacks and Mitigation in Blockchain Based Transactive Energy Systems},
  year = {2020},
  abstract = {Power grids are undergoing major changes due to the rapid adoption of intermittent renewable energy resources and the increased availability of energy storage devices. These trends drive smart-grid operators to envision a future where peer-to-peer energy trading occurs within microgrids, leading to the development of Transactive Energy Systems. Blockchains have garnered significant interest from both academia and industry for their potential application in decentralized TES, in large part due to their high level of resilience. In this paper, we introduce a novel class of attacks against blockchain based TES, which target the gateways that connect market participants to the system. We introduce a general model of blockchain based TES and study multiple threat models and attack strategies. We also demonstrate the impact of these attacks using a testbed based on GridLAB-D and a private Ethereum network. Finally, we study how to mitigate these attack.},
  category = {selectiveconference},
  contribution = {colab},
  keywords = {blockchain, transactive energy systems, cybersecurity, smart contracts, distributed energy resources, market mechanisms, cyberattacks},
  project = {cps-reliability},
  tag = {decentralization,power}
}
Quick Info
Year 2020
Keywords
blockchain transactive energy systems cybersecurity smart contracts distributed energy resources market mechanisms cyberattacks
Research Areas
energy CPS
Search Tags

Cyber, Attacks, Mitigation, Blockchain, Transactive, Energy, Systems, blockchain, transactive energy systems, cybersecurity, smart contracts, distributed energy resources, market mechanisms, cyberattacks, energy, CPS, 2020, Barreto, Eghtesad, Eisele, Laszka, Dubey, Koutsoukos