Privacy and security for applications and services in future generation smart grids

Abstract

Growing energy demands together with the urge to supply available power in a reliable, as well as efficient manner, has led to the gradual upgrading and modernizing of existing power grid systems into Smart Grids (SGs) by way of incorporating supporting information and communication technology (ICT) subsystems. The latter facilities the two-way flow of both energy (power) and information related to the grid's performance, as well as the end user's requirements. Notably, the ICT subsystem enables key entities such as generation, distribution, transmission, and end-user subsystems to interrelated in real-time, and in the process, this achieving a well reliable, robust as well as efficiently managed SG system. The interactions of the various entities constituting the grid result in the emergence of various services and applications exchanging data throughout the interconnected systems. Whereas the SG is quite efficient in rendering its services, it, however, is exposed to various cyber security threats by adversaries. Notably, security threats vary depending on the applications. On the user end networks, the mandatory aggregation of power consumption as well as exchange of power consumption-related information on individual household area networks (HANs) or among HANs and utility's control canter (CC) can result in adversaries tempering with the processes. In particular key security concerns being that during these operations, individuals' privacy, as well as aggregated data integrity, can be compromised as a result of attacks. The resource-constrained nature of associated devices, objects, and elements of the SG at the user side networks and in the SG core, in general, brings about challenges in implementing robust security measures that inevitably involve the performing of complex crypto-operations.