In-Situ Cyber Threat and Tamper Monitoring for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

Statement of Problem and Proposed Innovation The DOEĺs mandate for a clean energy future relies on electric vehicle (EV) adoption. Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (EVCI) is vulnerable to cyberattacks whose adverse effects can reach into the larger electric grid. Charging infrastructure security cannot be an afterthought as cyberattacks will have severe consequences to individuals and societies. Nokomis is proposing to leverage the power of unintended Radio Frequency (RF) emissions emitted by the charging infrastructure subcomponents to identify cyberattacks such as attempts to bypass encryption to access data on EV supply equipment, by detecting RF signature changes in use patterns and fingerprints of malicious cyberthreats. By adapting current Ethernet-based in-situ monitoring methods for EVCI, Nokomis will monitor the RF emissions of key electronics that are conducted on communication lines as a non-intrusive method to rapidly detect cyberattack that compromise EVCI. The next step in utilizing these fingerprints will be to combine RF signature detection algorithms into a system that provides real-time assessment of multiple cyberattack markers. Under Phase I, RF emissions data from EVCI will be monitored during baseline operations and cyberattacks. This data will be used to develop the architecture for an autonomous assessment software that can detect and rapidly identify unauthorized access and other cyberthreats. Real-time detection of representative attacks will be demonstrated. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits As the U.S. electrifies the transportation sector, cybersecurity is critical to prevent cyberattacks targeting vehicle charging that could impact critical infrastructure sectors. Poorly implemented EVSE, EV, or grid operator communication systems could be a significant risk to EV adoption because the political, social, and financial impact of cyberattacksŚor public perception of suchŚwould ripple across the industry and produce lasting effects. Unfortunately, there is currently no comprehensive EVCI cybersecurity approach and limited best practices have been adopted by the EV/EVCI industry. In contrast, the proposed solution utilizes a parallel hardware solution to protect the monitoring system itself from cyberattacks without being readily accessible to cyberattacks. Nokomisĺ in-situ cyber threat monitoring solution provides a novel approach to maintaining system security and power distribution assurance.