Cyber-Attacks on Smart Home Energy Management Systems under Aggregators

Smart Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) have been proposed as a way of reducing energy consumption in households and for better utilization of grid resources. However, different cyber-attacks such as identity theft, spying, or fraud can be carried out on these systems, leading to possible adverse impacts on smart homes. There is a lot of related research on cyberattacks targeted at personal devices such as computers and small smart devices, focusing mainly on the software applications. However, minimal research has been conducted on cyberattacks targeting the HEMS under an aggregator system of operation where the impact can be safety critical due to connection with electricity. This paper investigates the impact of cyber-attacks on a smart HEMS. Thereafter, possible ways of detecting the attacks and how to mitigate these are examined. Attack on price is the main focus of the simulations. The results obtained from the simulations and detection methods are presented and conclusions are drawn.