Proactive defence of cyber-physical networks against coordinated attacks with optimal resource allocation

Cyber-physical power systems (CPPSs) are more vulnerable to coordinated attacks on cyber-physical networks. In this context, this paper first assesses the impact of coordinated attacks and reveals the interdependence of cyber-physical networks in amplifying system vulnerability. To address this issue, a tri-level cyber-physical network defence (CPND) model is proposed to enable proactive defence of cyber-physical networks through optimal protection resource allocation against coordinated attacks. This model considers the cyber and physical network properties as well as their interdependence in CPPSs. Meanwhile, it incorporates the optimal allocation of control centres, providing more practical defence strategies against coordinated attacks. Then, a Column-and-Constraint Generation (C&CG) with optimality cuts algorithm is developed to solve the proposed CPND model, thereby improving computational efficiency. Numerical simulation results verify the superiority of the proposed approach.