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oai:figshare.com:article/32629884 2026-10-01T17:30:22Z portal_1172 item_type_8 month_year_10_2026

Reliable and secure information and communications systems for electrical utilities John Bourke O'Raw (24163386) PUREID: 219508070 Data Diode IEC61850 SDN SD-Node Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) systems have become pervasive. The underlying technologies of these systems were developed before security was a priority. Using conventional approaches, it is not possible to mitigate these systems adequately for use in Critical Infrastructure (CI). <br><br>Some strategies have been considered for legacy sites. A novel approach to asset identification is considered. Restricting data flows is a solution for security issues in certain classes of applications and the data diode is an example of such an implementation. This has been demonstrated in a smart grid context using standardized phasor measurement data. To make this approach more scalable, an OpenFlow Software-Defined Network (SDN) may be used. Vulnerabilities in this approach are identified and the attack surface minimised. Configuration and change as a vector for vulnerability is mitigated by automating provisioning, based on IEC 61850 data models. This solution is then generalized for provisioning any NETCONF/YANG compatible network devices. <br><br>Finally, these ideas are combined in the concept of a software-defined node, where the core functionality of a processing device is separated from its data communications functionality. There is no access path between the core processor and the external network. 2026-10-01T17:30:22Z Text Thesis 10.17034/32629884.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Reliable_and_secure_information_and_communications_systems_for_electrical_utilities/32629884 All Rights Reserved