Securing RDS Broadcast Messages for Smart Grid Applications

摘要

Efforts to reduce peak electrical demand has led to the introduction of demand response (DR.) programs for residences. The RDS network is a strong candidate for delivering DR messages due to its low-cost nature and ubiquitous coverage. However, security concerns arise due to the wireless nature of the communication channel. We present evaluations of cryptographic methods that could be employed to offer source authentication over the RDS network. Simulations are used to determine the impact on the network performance by employing three digital signature protocols (BiBa, HORSE, and ECDSA). The simulation results show that, up to a distance of 90 km, all authentication schemes do not affect message reception by the receivers. ECDSA and HORSE outperform BiBa in terms of message reception beyond 90 km. ECDSA offers higher security than HORSE and BiBa but at the cost of increased computational complexity, in particular at the receivers. In addition, ECDSA has the highest bandwidth overhead.