An Efficient Security Protocol for Advanced Metering Infrastructure in Smart Grid
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Abstract
In this paper, we present a security protocol for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in smart grid. We consider various security vulnerabilities of deploying AMI, and explore the issues related to confidentiality for user privacy and behavior as well as message authentication for meter reading and control messages. After surveying the existing security solutions in this area, we propose a new protocol, called an integrated authentication and confidentiality (IAC) protocol, to provide efficient secure AMI communications in smart grid. With the help of the IAC protocol, an AMI system can provide trust services, data privacy and integrity by mutual authentications whenever a new smart meter initiates and joins the smart grid AMI network. Data integrity and confidentiality are fulfilled through message authentication and encryption services, respectively, using the corresponding keys established in mutual authentications. Simulation and analytical results show that the proposed IAC protocol has better performance in terms of end-to-end delay and packet loss when compared with a basic security scheme. Additionally, it can also facilitate efficient secure data collection and control message delivery between smart meters and a local collector for AMI communications in a smart grid.
