Improved Attribute-based Encryption with Fpga for Automatic Appliance Control Application in Smart Grid

Abstract

In this thesis, the author describes the privacy violation issues in smart grid with Automatic Appliance Control applications, and explains the security threats related to it. The smart grid is a sensitive and sophisticated system in real life operation. A mass of data including the remote control commands and users’ energy consumptions is transmitted between the utility companies and other devices in the smart grid such as the substations, smart meters, smart home appliances and much more. Without efficient cryptographic methods, an adversary may hack into the data or the remote control commands and extrapolates a resident’s activity model. Therefore, the Attribute-Based Encryption (ABE) is proposed to provide protection through generating the secret key of user based on a set of attributes which is used to identify different users in the smart grid. And the ciphertext, which is the encrypted remote command, obtains the access policy for decryption. However, ABE algorithm requires long computational time especially a large quantity of attributes are required in a smart grid. The idea of improved ABE system with FPGA is proposed to solve the problem. But the FPGA is only conceptual idea in this thesis and future work of it will be done by other co-worker.