IEC 62351-7-2017 PDF

Full title and description

Power systems management and associated information exchange — Data and communications security — Part 7: Network and System Management (NSM) data object models. This IEC international standard defines NSM data object models intended for monitoring device and network health, detecting security intrusions and supporting performance and reliability monitoring for IEDs, RTUs, DERs and other power‑system related equipment.

Abstract

IEC 62351‑7:2017 specifies abstract data object models (expressed in UML) for Network and System Management (NSM) tailored to power systems. The models cover base types, device and interface state, protocol metrics and health indicators and include code components that translate the UML models into SNMP MIBs to ease integration with existing network management systems. The standard aims to enable consistent monitoring, intrusion detection support and interoperability between vendor implementations.

General information

• Status: Withdrawn / superseded (replaced by IEC 62351‑7:2025; original withdrawn 2025‑12‑03).
• Publication date: 18 July 2017.
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), TC57.
• ICS / categories: 33.200 — Information security and data privacy (power systems).
• Edition / version: Edition 1.0 (2017).
• Number of pages: 232 pages (page count may vary slightly between national/adopted versions).

Scope

The standard defines a set of NSM data object models specific to power system operations to support remote monitoring of the health and condition of devices and communications infrastructure, to assist detection of intrusions and anomalous behaviour, and to manage performance, availability and reliability of information systems used in power system operation. It also supplies machine‑readable code components (SNMP MIB translations) to facilitate integration with existing NMS/SCADA/IDS tools.

Key topics and requirements

• NSM object data models for device state, communication links, protocol metrics and system health indicators expressed using UML.
• Base data types and semantics (timestamps, boolean/value types, internet address types, etc.) tailored to power‑system monitoring.
• Provision of code components including SNMP MIB translations to support SMIv2/SNMP integration.
• Guidance to support intrusion detection and anomaly monitoring (detection of malformed PDUs, DoS/resource exhaustion, unauthorized access patterns).
• Recommendations for using NSM objects as part of end‑to‑end security and operational monitoring strategies in control‑centre and field deployments.

Typical use and users

Used by utility network operations teams, NOC/SOC personnel, SCADA and NMS vendors, manufacturers of IEDs/RTUs/DER controllers, system integrators and cybersecurity teams for the power sector. Typical applications are device health monitoring, integration of power‑sector objects into enterprise NMS/IDS, vendor‑interoperable SNMP support for grid devices, and operational performance/reliability management.

Related standards

This part is one of the IEC 62351 family addressing data and communications security for power systems (other parts cover profiles, key management, RBAC, IEC 61850 security interactions, etc.). Closely related references include IEC 62351 parts 1–6, 8–11 and the IEC 61850 series (device modelling and ACSI), as well as national/adopted EN/BS/UNE versions.

Keywords

IEC 62351, NSM, network and system management, MIB, SNMP, UML, intrusion detection, IED, RTU, DER, power system security, SCADA, NMS.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEC 62351‑7:2017 is an international standard that defines Network and System Management (NSM) data object models for power systems, expressed in UML and accompanied by code components such as SNMP MIB translations to support monitoring and security operations.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers abstract object definitions and base data types for monitoring device and network health, protocol metrics, and security‑related indicators; it also provides machine‑readable code components (MIBs) and guidance to support intrusion detection and operational monitoring.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Utilities, NOC/SOC teams, SCADA/NMS vendors, device manufacturers (IED/RTU/DER), system integrators and cybersecurity practitioners in the energy sector.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: IEC 62351‑7:2017 was superseded by a later edition (IEC 62351‑7:2025) and was withdrawn from the IEC catalogue with an official withdrawal date of 3 December 2025. For new projects and compliance activities users should refer to the 2025 edition.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is one part (Part 7) of the IEC 62351 family addressing data and communications security for power systems; the family includes multiple parts covering glossary, profiles, IEC 61850 security, key management, RBAC and other related topics.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: NSM, SNMP MIBs, UML, intrusion detection, device health, IED, RTU, DER, SCADA, NMS, power system cybersecurity.