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Verification of Security Protocols for Smart Meters in Smart Grid Networks

Authors:
Mustafa Saed
Nizar Al Holou
Kevin Daimi

Keywords: Security protocol; smart meters; smart grid; formal verification; CryptoVerif

Abstract:
The smart grids’ heavy reliance on cyber resources introduces frequent security concerns. The extensive attack surface revealed by the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) along with the distribution of sensitive data including; customer information, billing, and control information will provide attackers with a major economic reason to attempt the attacks. To ensure the security protocols between the various parties in smart grid are secure, automated security verification tools are sought. This paper presents one method of security verification for communications protocols between smart meters, a central gateway, and supervisory nodes using the CryptoVerif tool. There are two types of networks supported by these protocols, namely direct and indirect communication between smart meters and the central gateway. Each of these protocols has three sub-protocols: Enrollment and activation, Smart meter to central gateway security process, and key update and exchange process. The analysis of these protocols proceeds in two phases. In the first phase, the protocols were manually analyzed for security flaws, inconsistencies, and incorrect usage of cryptographic primitives. During the second phase, the protocols were analyzed using CryptoVerif, an automated formal methods-based analysis tool. Several efficiency improvements are presented as an outcome of these analyses.

Pages: 25 to 34

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2018

Publication date: July 22, 2018

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-3727

ISBN: 978-1-61208-653-8

Location: Barcelona, Spain

Dates: from July 22, 2018 to July 26, 2018