Secured access control architecture consideration for smart grids

Abstract

Hybrid power systems are rapidly becoming a standard for all smart grids as we gear towards cleaner alternative energy sources. However their management is quite complex due to the different power generating sources which leads to complex management due to the multitudes of data exchange involved. Despite its attractive features, Hybrid Smart Grids remain vulnerable to security threats. In this paper, we summarize some of these potential security issues by exploring data access control mechanisms that ensure privacy to customers. We hereby propose a security model based on attribute-based encryption (ABE). The entire grid network is subdivided into clusters each with its own remote terminal unit (RTU) as well as a gateway smart meter. User data in a given cluster is aggregated and sent to the local substation where it is monitored by the RTU. RTUs and users have attributes and cryptographic keys distributed by several key distribution centers (KDC). RTUs send data encrypted under a set of attributes. Users can decrypt information provided they have valid attributes. The access control scheme is quite resilient because of its being distributed in nature and does not rely on a single KDC to distribute keys. The encryption algorithm is based on Diffie-Hellman key establishment protocol and hash-based message authentication code, which allows smart meters at different clusters of the smart grid to mutually authenticate prior to data/information exchange and in the process maintaining low latency as well as relatively fewer authentication associated messages. Overall the control scheme is relatively collusion resistant.