The techniques of Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) for Overhead Transmission Line (OTL)’s are currently dynamically developed. DLR systems typically rely on weather, temperature, inclination, and current measurements to calculate tension and sag, where sensors need to be installed directly on wires. Such systems are very reliable and ensure high accuracy in determining maximum allowable current. However, their installation may require switching off the transmission line from the operation. In order to receive precise values regarding the actual operating conditions of the whole transmission line, DLR sensors measuring wire temperature or tension should be installed at many points of OTL. The minimum number of installation points should cover at least each tension section and critical spans, thereby increasing installation costs. The alternative method that allows for the monitoring of OTL is the use of the vision system based on cameras. Installed on the OTLs’ poles, cameras can take photos which, appropriately processed, can provide data about the sag and temperature of wires, without the necessity of switching OTL from the operation for installation or further maintenance. Such a vision system facilitates also data transmission, because it does not require measurement data to be transmitted from the sensor station installed on the wire to the base station located on the pole (for instance, via radio). This article aims to present the concept of a vision system that monitors sag and temperature of Overhead Transmission Lines (OTLs)’ using Long Range (LoRa) wireless communication and data transmission. The developed system consists of a camera and a microcomputer equipped with LoRa communication module. The whole system monitors OTLs’ spans by taking photos, processing images for wire sag-temperature estimation, and sending results to the operator’s Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA). The system communication architecture is also proposed and investigated for data transmission time when monitoring the whole OTL.

Existing transmission power grids suffer from high maintenance costs and scalability issues along with a lack of effective and secure system monitoring. To address these problems, we propose to use Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) as a technology to achieve energy efficient, reliable, and low-cost remote monitoring of transmission grids. With WSNs, smart grid enables both utilities and customers to monitor, predict and manage energy usage effectively and react to possible power grid disturbances in a timely manner. However, the increased application of WSNs also introduces new security challenges, especially related to privacy, connectivity, and security management, repeatedly causing unpredicted expenditures. Monitoring the status of the power system, a large amount of sensors generates massive amount of sensitive data. In order to build an effective Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) for a smart grid, we focus on designing a methodology of efficient and secure delivery of the data measured on transmission lines. We perform a set of simulations, in which we examine different routing algorithms, security mechanisms and WSN deployments in order to select the parameters that will not affect the delivery time but fulfill their role and ensure security at the same time. Furthermore, we analyze the optimal placement of direct wireless links, aiming at minimizing time delays, balancing network performance and decreasing deployment costs.

The growing popularity of wireless sensor networks increases the risk of security attacks. One of the most common and dangerous types of attack that takes place these days in any electronic society is a distributed denial of service attack. Due to the resource constraint nature of mobile sensors, DDoS attacks have become a major threat to its stability. In this paper, we established a model of a structural health monitoring network, being disturbed by one of the most common types of DDoS attacks, the flooding attack. Through a set of simulations, we explore the scope of flood-based DDoS attack problem, assessing the performance and the lifetime of the network under the attack condition. To conduct our research, we utilized the Quality of Protection Modeling Language. With the proposed approach, it was possible to examine numerous network configurations, parameters, attack options, and scenarios. The results of the carefully performed multilevel analysis allowed us to identify a new kind of DDoS attack, the delayed distributed denial of service, by the authors, referred to as DDDoS attack. Multilevel approach to DDoS attack analysis confirmed that, examining endangered environments, it is significant to take into account many characteristics at once, just to not overlook any important aspect.

American philosopher John Dewey, in one of his most famous theories about the hands-on approach to learning, said that practical problem-solving and theoretical teaching should go hand-in-hand. This means students must interact with their environment to adapt and learn. Today, we almost take for granted that laboratory classes are an essential part of teaching science and engineering. Specific to cybersecurity, an integral piece of any training is the opportunity to work in an interactive hands-on environment: problem-solving skills are best developed in this fashion. In this paper, we present a hands-on web application security course based on OWASP Top 10 that allows students to learn through real-life experience. The virtual laboratories provided in our course simulate common vulnerabilities and issues mapped directly from OWASP Top 10, allowing students to be well-prepared for most of the critical security risks to web applications that arise in the real world. To examine how practical knowledge affects the learning experience and to measure the effectiveness of the proposed solution, we gathered learning data (such as the number of tries and the execution time for each exercise) from our cybersecurity course applied to a group of students at our university. Then, we examined correlations between students’ results and gathered statistics. In our research, we made use of a CTF-based approach, which is known as a valuable pedagogical tool for providing students with real-life problems and helping them gain more practical skills, knowledge, and expertise in the cybersecurity field.

Information management is one of the most significant issues in nowadays data centers. Selection of appropriate software, security mechanisms and effective energy consumption management together with caring for the environment enforces a profound analysis of the considered system. Besides these factors, financial analysis of data center maintenance is another important aspect that needs to be considered. Data centers are mission-critical components of all large enterprises and frequently cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build, yet few high-level executives understand the true cost of operating such facilities. Costs are typically spread across the IT, networking, and facilities, which makes management of these costs and assessment of alternatives difficult. This paper deals with a research on multilevel analysis of data center management and presents an approach to estimate the true total costs of operating data center physical facilities, taking into account the proper management of the information flow.