A Secure and Efficient Data Transmission Scheme for Edge Devices in Smart Grids

Abstract

To enhance the situational awareness of smart grids, a high volume of data are generated each day from numerous and geographically-dispersed edge devices, such as smart meters, charging piles, portable digital terminals, etc. These data contain sensitive information about smart grids’ configurations and topology as well as individual customers’ energy consumption patterns. However, data security for heterogeneous and resource-constrained edge devices still remains a big challenge for smart grids. To meet this gap, we are motivated to propose a secure and efficient data transmission scheme for edge devices in smart grids. In this scheme, a hybrid cryptosystem based on the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA) and symmetric encryption method is designed to preserve the data integrity, confidentiality, and authenticity. Security analysis demonstrates the high-level security of our proposed scheme in defending against various types of data-oriented cyber attacks, and extensive experimental results show the efficiency of our proposed scheme.