Rapidly Restoring the Electrical Grid after Cyberattack

research were put to the test against various threat scenarios during a series of evaluation exercises using the testbed. The goal of each exercise was to use the technologies to help power the crank path and restore power to a “critical asset” on the island. Each exercise required consistent communication, collaboration, and problem solving between the research teams and other exercise participants. Volunteers from organizations responsible for the nation’s electrical grid were recruited by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the exercises. These utility volunteers partnered with the research teams to restore power and combat a skilled Red Team as it deployed malicious attacks and exploits. Utilities having the ability to see a cyber-attack in an exercise prior to seeing it in the real-world enhances emergency preparedness and the robustness of U.S. response efforts. As such, bringing in real volunteers from utilities was critical to making the exercises relevant.

“There was significant participation from our energy sector partners over the two year partnership between DOE CESER and DARPA, resulting in a total of 12 private sector entities sending teams of cyber and power professionals to take part in the exercise and assist DARPA in developing and refining tools” says Michael Toecker, Senior Cybersecurity Advisor in DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). “The partnership was equally valuable to our energy sector partners, who had the opportunity to observe and respond to simulated attacks in a consequence-free environment not unlike their own electric power environments.”

The volunteers’ expertise and input continuously helped RADICS improve both the technologies in development as well as the exercise.

The RADICS technologies were tested one last time during a live five-day exercise in October 2020 and the program concluded at the end of the year. This was the seventh exercise in the evaluation series and was conducted jointly with other U.S. departments and agencies – including DOE, DHS, and the National Guard. An already complex task was further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the team managed to provide a safe work environment through rigorous testing, limited personnel on the island, and the development of a virtual-presence platform that allowed exercise participants to join remotely.

“With COVID, the UIUC team was asked to accomplish another monumental task – to make the testbed environment seamlessly accessible remotely to the participants that were scattered around the country, while still maintaining a high level of engagement,” said Weiss. The