A Survey on Defensive Resource Allocation for Cyber-Physical Power SystemsA Survey on Defensive Resource Allocation for Cyber-Physical Power Systems

Abstract

Cyber-Physical Power Systems (CPPSs) are one of the highly visible, sophisticated, and beneficial trends of the modern energy infrastructure. CPPSs connect Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to physical power assets to enhance operational capabilities by leveraging bidirectional data flow. When CPPSs are operated under strict budget constraints or exposed to strategic adversaries, security vulnerabilities can arise. That can lead to severe operational disruptions that can impair system reliability. Therefore, defensive allocation should be considered under limited resources. Within our study, we survey resource allocation approaches applied to CPPS defense, categorize them, provide a structured comparison, and lastly indicate some areas of future research directions. In particular, we begin by reviewing sample papers that tackle the allocation problem through static optimization models. Next we review some works on game theoretic approaches to this problem. After that we address approaches that are dynamic based on Moving Target Defense (MTD) strategies. Then we consider control theoretic and machine learning-based approaches. We provide a comparative analysis of these methodologies and highlight their strengths, limitations, scalability challenges, and practical deployment constraints. We conclude the study by emphasizing the need for effective frameworks that optimize grid defense, considering operational and financial risks.