Design Flaws and Cryptanalysis of Elliptic Curve Cryptography-Based Lightweight Authentication Scheme for Smart Grid Communication

Abstract

An authentication framework gives security demand in communication between user to user, user to station, user to substation, substation to another substation, user to thrust authority, and substation to thrust authority in smart grid environment. In smart grid communications, a suitable authority provides electricity updation and secure power connectivity in smart cities. In smart grid communication, an elliptic curve cryptography-based authentication protocol for smart grid communication is published by Mahmood et al. (J Futur Gener Comput Syst 81:557–565, 2018 [1]). We reviewed their framework and found security weaknesses such as fails to protect the session key, guessing identity attack, insider attack, user anonymity, impersonation attack, stolen device attack, lack of login phase, lack of password information, and clock synchronization problem. Thus, Mahmood et al. scheme is not suitable for smart grid environment. Hence, we proposed a possible solution for Mahmood et al. scheme.