A review of non-technical loss attack models and detection methods in the smart grid

Abstract

The advanced metering infrastructure is a key building block for the smart grid, which is responsible for facilitating communication between the smart meter and the electricity provider. However, the development of advanced metering infrastructure leads to more sophisticated attacks that can be launched on the network and have a tremendous effect on the grid. Non-technical losses are the number one and most critical issue contributing to financial losses on smart grids. This paper, therefore, discusses the types and causes of attacks that trigger non-technical losses in the advanced metering infrastructure system and analyzes attacks that result from non-technical losses attack models. This paper also addresses various features and feature-engineering methods and their ability to create distinct classes between normal and attack samples. This study further examines the performances of different learning models in the detection of different types of attacks. Finally, the paper provides a summary and suggestions for further improvement in the detection of non-technical loss attacks.