Sector
Electric Power
Generation, transmission and distribution, where protection schemes operate in milliseconds and outages have public consequences.
dnp3iec-60870-5-104iec-61850goosemms
Typical architecture
Control centre EMS/SCADA → wide-area telecontrol → substation gateway → station bus → IEDs and process bus.
At a glance
SystemsEMS / SCADA, RTU, IED, Protective relay, Substation gateway, Turbine controls
VendorsSEL, ABB, GE Vernova, Siemens, Schneider Electric
Why should I care?
Sector context decides consequence. The same vulnerability carries a different risk in a substation, a treatment plant and a packaging line — prioritise on physical outcome, not CVSS alone.
Key processes
- Generation dispatch
- Transmission switching
- Distribution automation
- Load shedding
- Protection coordination
Safety considerations
- Arc flash and personnel safety during switching
- Protection must operate correctly to prevent equipment damage
Availability requirements
- Continuous operation with regulated reliability expectations
- Maintenance windows tied to seasonal load
Threat patterns
- State-associated targeting of grid operations
- Telecontrol protocol manipulation
- Substation physical and remote access
Relevant incidents
- ukraine-2015
- industroyer