Securing the Next-Generation Smart Electric Grid

电子和通信技术的最新进展使得能够开发具有无线通信能力的微型计算节点。这些节点可以通过无线信道相互通信，并且在没有现有基础设施的情况下，自主地组织自己以形成小型或大型无线网络。直接受益于无线通信网络进步的领域之一是电网：旧电表正在被智能电表所取代，智能电表允许能源供应商连续和远程收集，监控和提供能源消耗和分配。 构建具有数据消费、监测和控制双向通信的智能电网基础设施，需要最终考虑许多安全和隐私问题。由于基础设施预计将非常复杂，具有多个入口点，并将大量具有各种通信，计算和存储功能的通信设备连接起来，因此对基础设施的攻击肯定存在很高的风险，可能会对大量人员的安全和福祉产生严重影响。此外，公用事业提供商对能源消耗的持续监控可能具有高度侵入性，并且可能会泄露有关消费者在其家中活动的信息。 该研究计划的目标是为智能电网建立安全的通信网络，提供可信和真实的数据和设备，并允许公用事业提供商在不损害消费者隐私的情况下可靠地提供电网。

Recent advances in electronic and communication technologies have enabled the development of miniature computing nodes with wireless communication capability. These nodes can communicate with each other over wireless channels, and in the absence of an existing infrastructure, autonomously organize themselves to form small- or large-scale wireless networks. One of the domains that directly benefits from advances in wireless communication networks is the electric grid: old meters are being replaced with smart meters that allow energy providers to continuously and remotely collect, monitor, and provision energy consumption and distribution. Building the smart grid infrastructure with two-way communication of data consumption, monitoring and control, requires ultimate consideration of many security and privacy issues. As the infrastructure is expected to be very complex, with multiple entry points, and to connect an extremely large number of communication devices with various communication, computation, and storage capabilities, there is definitely a high risk that an attack on the infrastructure can have a drastic effect on the safety and well being of large number of people. Additionally, an ongoing monitoring of energy consumption by utility providers can be highly intrusive and can reveal information about the activities of consumers inside their homes. The objective of this research program is to build secure communication networks for the smart grid with trusted and authentic data and devices, and which allows the utility providers to reliably provision the grid without jeopardizing the privacy of the consumers.