Advanced security platform seals the future of smart grids
Smart grids are revolutionising energy management, allowing seamless communication between utility companies and customers. However, new technologies bring new challenges, and smart grids are no exception. Relying heavily on information and communications technologies, they are exposed to cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities.
Key smart grid challenges: scalability, trust and interoperability
“As we embrace the benefits of the smart grid, it is crucial to acknowledge and address some of the challenges that come with it,” notes Christos Xenakis, coordinator of SealedGRID, a project funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme. “The first one pertains to scalability: with the need to manage numerous smart meters, the utility side of the smart grid becomes a vulnerable target. Potential attacks could disrupt the entire energy distribution system.” Trust is another critical factor in smart grids. Given that smart grid nodes will be accessible to customers, the coordinator explains that certain users might tamper with hardware or software, interfering with energy measurements and costs, or illegally accessing sensitive personal information. The ultimate challenge is interoperability, which arises from the integration of various technologies owned by multiple network operators. “As the smart grid evolves gradually, new inter-domain security concerns are expected to emerge,” explains Xenakis.
Overcoming hurdles in smart grid implementation
Considering these aforementioned challenges, SealedGRID brought together experts from industry and academia to develop an innovative platform that considers the smart grid’s cybersecurity requirements. “The SealedGRID platform integrates, for the first time, advanced decentralised technologies such as blockchain, distributed hash tables and trusted execution environments to limit security risks and ensure secure management of energy distribution networks,” states Xenakis. “Additionally, the platform integrates OpenID Connect (a centralised, online identity verification system) and offers advanced security features, even for legacy equipment lacking cybersecurity features.”
The underlying components unlocking the power of the platform
The SealedGRID platform is underpinned by various components ensuring the scalability, trust and interoperability of smart grids. These range from key management and authentication (MENSA) and trusted computing and privacy protection (MASKER) to authorisation and security interoperability (ODyn). “MENSA is the first distributed hybrid system providing authentication services in microgrids. It allows frequent node joining and leaving without affecting the network’s efficiency. Owing to its decentralised design, it eliminates the possibility of a single point of failure and offers each node the freedom to set its own trust policies,” remarks Xenakis. The coordinator goes on to explain that MASKER is a privacy protection mechanism helping with masking and unmasking consumption values, key sharing, as well as achieving trusted execution environment collaboration. Meanwhile, ODyn utilises opinion dynamics modules to monitor the security status of each participating node and identify whether they are compromised. It transforms nodes into active agents exchanging cybersecurity-related information to detect anomalies. Through its correlation algorithm, it can analyse multiple threats within the grid. Ultimately, the SealedGRID platform encompasses an authorisation module responsible for accepting or denying requests within the smart grid. It includes a hierarchical authorisation framework with designated roles and connects directly to MENSA to exchange the necessary certificates. Furthermore, it performs audits for issuing new security policies or detecting malicious events. The SealedGRID platform successfully helps address certain risks that will arise from the implementation of smart grids. Integrating powerful tools that protect against cyber threats and malicious users, it should ensure efficient and secure smart grid infrastructure.
Keywords
SealedGRID, smart grid, trust, scalability, cybersecurity, decentralised, blockchain, distributed hash tables
