A new delay attack detection algorithm for PTP network in power substation

Abstract

Time synchronization is one of the main issues for guaranteeing the correctness of actions depending on the time of measured data or detected events by electronic devices across industrial networks. According to the accuracy needed in different applications and networks, several synchronization protocols or algorithms have been proposed so far. The Precision Time Protocol, PTP, is one of the most accurate synchronization protocols introduced for automation applications. It has also been used in power grids and digital substations. However, due to the variety of cyber-attacks in electrical power systems in recent years, its security should be considered and evaluated as other substation components. This paper introduces a new PTP attack detection algorithm. The proposed algorithm can detect delay attacks on Sync messages as well as attacks on transparent clocks and simultaneous attacks on the network. The efficiency and advantages of the proposed algorithm over other methods are verified through mathematical analysis as well as several simulations.