Regulating Prosumer Device Security: a Key Priority in Power Grid Protection

Prosumers - i.e. end-points with a dual role of producer and consumer - have become a fundamental element of the Power Grid. As their interaction with the infrastructure becomes more and more dynamic, the attack surface increases significantly. Evidence is, demonstrating that prosumer installations can serve as entry points for high-impact attacks, including blackouts, cascading failures, malicious alterations of demand forecasts, and market manipulation in general. Working side by side with industries, including both transmission and distribution operators, we have come to the conclusion that a major cause of this exposure is the lack of technically sound and enforceable security regulations for the "edge-side"of the power infrastructure.In this work, we analyze the European cybersecurity legislation and identify six specific gaps in the existing framework, specifically: 1) prosumers' ambiguous classification despite recognition as "producers"under the Electricity Directive; 2) inadequate monitoring requirements for high-wattage devices; 3) insufficient certification standards for prosumer equipment; 4) risks from extraterritorial cloud management systems; 5) absence of clear accountability frameworks for attacks originating from prosumer devices; 6) and unresolved data protection responsibilities. For each weakness, we provide actionable takeaways, which can be used as a compass for addressing key deficiencies of the current regulation.