  Smart grid security is crucial to maintain stable and reliable power system
operation during the contingency situation due to the failure of any critical
power system component. Ensuring a secured smart grid involves with a less
possibility of power grid collapse or equipment malfunction. Due to lack of the
proper security measures, a major blackout may occur which can even lead to a
cascading failure. Therefore, to protect this critical power system
infrastructure and to ensure a reliable and an uninterrupted power supply to
the end users, smart grid security issues must be addressed with high priority.
In a smart grid environment, electric power infrastructure is modernized by
incorporating the current and future requirements and advanced functionalities
to its consumers. To make the smart grid happen, cyber system is integrated
with the physical power system. Although adoption of cyber system has made the
grid more energy efficient and modernized, it has introduced cyber-attack
issues which are critical for national infrastructure security and customer
satisfaction. Due to the cyber-attack, power grid may face operational failures
and loss of synchronization. This operational failure may damage critical power
system components which may interrupt the power supply and make the system
unstable resulting high financial penalties. In this chapter, some recent cyber
attack related incidents into a smart grid environment are discussed. The
requirements and the state of the art of cyber security issues of a critical
power system infrastructure are illustrated elaborately.
