On November 19, 2025, the Electrical Engineering (EE) Department at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) hosted a seminar titled “Smart-Grid Cybersecurity: Research Highlights & Lab Capabilities (Smart Energy Solutions Lab)” delivered by Dr. Suhail Shaik, Assistant Professor.

The talk discussed how the increasing integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) with power systems is accelerating the transition toward smart grids—while also introducing new cybersecurity risks. Focusing on IEC 61850–based smart-grid environments, Dr. Shaik demonstrated representative cyberattacks and presented recent mitigation strategies and solutions developed within the Smart Energy Solutions Lab.

The seminar also highlighted the lab’s research capabilities, including its state-of-the-art equipment and the experimental infrastructure available to support advanced smart-grid cybersecurity research and validation.

Attendees left with practical insights into securing IEC 61850-based systems, understanding common threat vectors in modern grid communications, and exploring how lab-scale testbeds can be used to evaluate defenses before deployment in real-world settings.

The following are the highlights of the event: