SECURING NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE: ADVANCED CYBER DEFENSE STRATEGIES FOR POWER AND UTILITY SYSTEMS
Power grids and utility networks are considered the backbone of the modern economy and the safety of many people, but they are extremely vulnerable to even more advanced cyberattacks. Movements associated with the industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and the convergence of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT), along with the use of legacy systems, have exposed critical infrastructures to targeted attacks, including ransomware, command injection, and advanced persistent threats (APTs). The real-life frameworks currently being used are proving to be inefficient in handling the real-world environments of the cyber world, which demand real-time requirements. This study has developed a multi-layered, multi-faceted cyber defense framework specifically intended to be utilized by power and utility installations. This methodology involves a hybrid technique that involves the signature-based and AI-powered anomaly detection, which is facilitated by divided network zoning, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and a realistic monitoring instrument, which includes Snort, Zeek, and OpenDNP3. Applied to a CyberRange-based testbed, simulations came in the form of experimental simulations based on various attacks that might take place in an emulated SCADA network in order to verify enduring effectiveness. The experiments show that early threat detection and isolation response times are greatly reduced even under high-latency conditions, most characteristic of an industrial environment. The work at hand offers a flexible and scalable solution to the problem of national infrastructure security, meaning that the policymakers, engineers, and cybersecurity professionals concerned with the security of power and utility sectors have a feasible way forward to pursue.
Critical Infrastructure Security, Cyber Defense Strategies, Power Systems, SCADA Protection, Threat Detection, National Cybersecurity.