IEC TR 62351-90-1-2018 PDF

Full title and description

Power systems management and associated information exchange — Data and communications security — Part 90-1: Guidelines for handling role-based access control in power systems (IEC TR 62351-90-1:2018). A technical report that provides guidance for defining, engineering and distributing role-based access control (RBAC) information and custom role-to-right mappings for interoperable access control in electrical power systems.

Abstract

IEC TR 62351-90-1:2018 addresses access control for users and automated agents to data objects in power systems using role-based access control (RBAC) as specified in IEC TS 62351-8. The report focuses on creating a standardized method for defining custom roles, mapping roles to rights, categorizing actions and rights, and describing infrastructure and distribution formats (including machine-readable attachments) to enable consistent, interoperable handling of custom RBAC profiles across devices and systems in the power domain.

General information

• Status: Published / Active (technical report)
• Publication date: 23 January 2018
• Publisher: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
• ICS / categories: 33.200 (Telecontrol. Telemetering)
• Edition / version: Edition 1.0 (Ed. 1.0)
• Number of pages: 37

Scope

This technical report provides guidance for handling RBAC in power systems: how to define and engineer custom roles beyond the mandatory roles in IEC TS 62351-8, how to map roles to rights and actions, how to structure categories and subcategories of rights, and how to distribute those mappings and related data (including machine-readable files) so that role information can be consumed by devices, systems and management applications to achieve interoperable access control in power-system environments.

Key topics and requirements

• Guidance for defining and engineering custom RBAC roles for power-system applications.
• Role-to-right mapping methodology and recommended structure (categories and subcategories of actions/rights).
• Requirements for infrastructure support needed to apply custom roles within power-system devices and systems.
• Recommendations for distribution formats and machine-readable files to convey role mappings for interoperability.
• Alignment with IEC TS 62351-8 RBAC profiles and mandatory roles; extension mechanisms where mandatory roles are insufficient.
• Practical considerations for deployment, integration and lifecycle management of role definitions in operational environments.

Typical use and users

Used by utility cybersecurity architects, grid operators, control-system vendors, device manufacturers, system integrators and consultants involved in power-system communications and security. Typical applications include defining access control policies for SCADA, EMS/DMS, distributed energy resource interfaces, substation automation and other telecontrol systems where interoperable RBAC is required.

Related standards

This technical report is part of the IEC 62351 family on data and communications security for power systems and is intended to be used together with IEC TS 62351-8 (RBAC profiles). Users will commonly reference other IEC 62351 parts (for example parts covering protocols, encryption, authentication and system-specific guidance) and related TRs within the 62351 series to implement comprehensive information-security measures in power-system environments.

Keywords

IEC 62351, RBAC, role-based access control, role-to-right mapping, power systems security, telecontrol, interoperability, machine-readable role files, access control policies, IEC TS 62351-8.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEC TR 62351-90-1:2018 is a technical report that provides guidance for handling role-based access control (RBAC) in electrical power systems, focusing on custom role definitions and role-to-right mappings to support interoperable access control.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers methods for defining custom roles, structuring categories and subcategories of actions/rights, recommendations for infrastructure support and a proposed format for distributing role-to-right mappings (including machine-readable files) consistent with IEC TS 62351-8.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Utility security architects, control-system vendors, device manufacturers, system integrators, grid operators and consultants implementing or integrating RBAC for SCADA, EMS/DMS, substation automation and other power-system communications.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: IEC TR 62351-90-1:2018 was published on 23 January 2018 and is a published technical report. Users should check the IEC catalogue or national standards body for any amendments or newer editions; the report was issued as Edition 1.0 and included in the IEC 62351 series lifecycle.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is part of the IEC 62351 series on data and communications security for power systems and is intended to be used alongside IEC TS 62351-8 and the other parts and technical reports in the 62351 family.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: RBAC, role-based access control, IEC 62351, role-to-right mapping, power systems security, telecontrol, interoperability, access control policies.