A Multi-User, Single-Authentication Protocol for Smart Grid Architectures

Abstract

In a smart grid system, the utility server collects data from various smart grid devices. These data play an important role in the energy distribution and balancing between the energy providers and energy consumers. However, these data are prone to tampering attacks by an attacker, while traversing from the smart grid devices to the utility servers, which may result in energy disruption or imbalance. Thus, an authentication is mandatory to efficiently authenticate the devices and the utility servers and avoid tampering attacks. To this end, a group authentication algorithm is proposed for preserving demand–response security in a smart grid. The proposed mechanism also provides a fine-grained access control feature where the utility server can only access a limited number of smart grid devices. The initial authentication between the utility server and smart grid device in a group involves a single public key operation, while the subsequent authentications with the same device or other devices in the same group do not need a public key operation. This reduces the overall computation and communication overheads and takes less time to successfully establish a secret session key, which is used to exchange sensitive information over an unsecured wireless channel. The resilience of the proposed algorithm is tested against various attacks using formal and informal security analysis.

A Comprehensive Review on Smart Grids: Challenges and Opportunities

“…Table 3 shows that most of the Encryption issues do not clearly define the algorithms they use, although there are some articles that use Multi-dimensional Data aggregation and even Cognitive Risk Control. Multi-dimensional Data aggregation [42,[55][56][57]60,62,64] Cognitive Risk Control [37,82] Not Defined [19,20,[22][23][24]26,28,29,31,35,36,38,39,43,[45][46][47][48]50,[52][53][54]58,61,63,73,[76][77][78][79]81,[98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105]…”

“…The works of Alonso et al [70] and Cavalieri [89] using the IEC61850 Protocol can be highlighted, showing us an applicable field of research with a view to homogenizing the algorithms and protocols used by Smart Grids and achieve an integration of all elements that conform them. Green-RPL [53] Local positive degree coupling [44] IEE 802.11s [33] Web Of Energy [67] Dynamic Barrier Coverage [68] IEC61850 [70,89] Wind-driven bacterian foraging algorithm [86] Data Slicing [87] TSUBE energy trading algorithm [91] Stochastic Geometry [92] Rectangular quadrature amplitude modulation [37] Policy-based group authentication algorithm [103] Mapping interface integration COIIoT [99,104] Nash Equilibrium (NE) and the Bayesian NE [105] Wireless sensor network protocol [35,50,53,63,73,[76][77][78]98,108,110] Algorithmic Approach [36,37,48,52,93,107,109] Furthermore, Figure 6c shows the Protocols Applied in Smart Grid Algorithms, pointing out that these technologies are varied and abundant, since 46% concentrate 14 different protocols applied among members or nodes of the Smart Grid. In addition, 34% is located in wireless connections of Sensor Networks and 20% Algorithmic Approaches inside these networks.…”

“…In a system of a SG, the data collected from different SG devices show that they are susceptible to attacks, resulting in disrupted or imbalanced energy between the energy providers and consumers. Alfakeeh et al [103] proposed a policy-based group authentication algorithm to preserve the security of the demand response in a SG and to provide an access control feature, entering to a limited number of devices connected to SG via the utility server. The first authentication includes a single public key operation and the next ones with or without the same device or other ones without a public key operation, reducing the overheads of communication and computation.…”

A Novel Privacy Preserving Scheme for Smart Grid-Based Home Area Networks

“…Authentication is a process of associating the incoming activation requests with the already set authentication rights [ 71 ]. These authentication rights are stored in file systems or databases.…”

The Challenges of Privacy and Access Control as Key Perspectives for the Future Electric Smart Grid

“…Another scheme for preserving demand-response security in the ESG was presented by Alfakeeh et. al in [111] promoting a group authentication technique. Based on this technique, a single public key operation is employed in order for the utility server to authenticate the ESG smart devices.…”