Cybersecurity challenges in power networks with distributed energy resources: A comprehensive survey

The integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) into modern power networks is revolutionizing the energy sector, enhancing energy efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. However, their complex communication and control architectures introduce significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities. This survey provides a comprehensive analysis of the cybersecurity challenges facing power networks with high DER penetration, identifying key vulnerabilities at both device and network levels. The survey presents a five-layer attack surface model to categorise vulnerabilities and their associated communication protocols across DER-integrated power systems, while identifying major attack vectors and highlighting emerging threats at each layer. The paper also examines regulatory frameworks and cybersecurity standards. Furthermore, the paper reviews recent advancements in cyber defence, including model-based and machine learning-driven detection techniques, as well as mitigation and prevention strategies to ensure resilient operation of power systems with DER. The review concludes by addressing the key challenges, research gaps, and opportunities for future work, such as adversarial-aware AI defences, quantum-resilient cryptography, and real-time edge computing solutions. Additionally, it underscores the potential of emerging technologies like blockchain and 5 G/6 G networks in countering evolving cyber threats, emphasizing the critical demand for scalable and innovative cybersecurity strategies to address the increasing sophistication of DER systems and threat vectors.