The article addresses cybersecurity vulnerabilities that pose a concrete threat to digital technologies used in the telecontrol of energy systems. Both users and companies are at risk in terms of reliability, continuity, and service efficiency, with potential significant economic losses. The IEC 62351 cybersecurity standards specify solutions to counter or mitigate cybersecurity threats in energy telecontrol systems and communications.

The article focuses on a software platform implemented in the RSE PCS-ResTest laboratory, which manages command and control communications between a substation and distributed resources using protocols specified in the IEC 61850 standard. These communications are secured in accordance with the IEC 62351-3 standard, which specifies security profiles to activate in the TLS protocol to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and authentication of communications through encryption and digital certificates.

The platform calculates Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to assess the performance of cybersecurity profiles and assist system integrators in selecting suitable solutions.

The KPIs are based on latency measurements in different phases of telecontrol communication, highlighting the impact of various security parameters in different communication phases. This allows for the adaptation of telecontrol procedures to minimize performance degradation and maximize cybersecurity and architecture resilience.

Simulations have been conducted with various combinations of communication solutions and processing technologies, including standard LAN and WAN technologies like Ethernet, Wi-Fi, ADSL, and 4G LTE communications, selectively supported by VPNs. Different hardware platforms and the use of virtualization have also been considered.

The Precision Time Protocol (PTP) has been employed for device synchronization. The tools and tests described in the article support the adoption of cybersecurity standards at both national and international levels. The availability of this test environment contributes to the implementation of communications with cybersecurity compliance with the operational requirements of the energy sector.

The article introduces the security parameters of IEC 62351 profiles and various test simulations, followed by a discussion of KPI results. Finally, it mentions the application of test results in Italian regulations for controlling distributed energy resources connected to MV grids.