BSCP-SG: Blockchain-enabled secure communication protocols for IoT-driven smart grid systems

Smart grids (SG) utilize emerging communication technologies and IoT innovations to advance power system efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. Smart meters (SM), as key components of SG, facilitate real-time monitoring and control of energy usage by supplying data to both consumers and service providers (SP). However, the open communication framework of IoT-enabled SGs introduces significant security vulnerabilities that can disrupt the smooth operation of SGs. To address these risks, secure communication protocols are crucial, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and authentication for data transmitted between SMs and SPs, thereby safeguarding SGs from cyber-attacks and ensuring the reliability of their operations. To address security challenges, we propose a blockchain-enabled secure communication protocol for IoT-driven SGs, called BSCP-SG. The BSCP-SG protocol is developed utilizing the AEAD primitive, ECC, and SHA-256 to enable mutual authentication between SM and SP. Once authenticated, a session key (SK) is generated, enabling indecipherable communication between the SM and SP. The data obtained from the SMs is converted into secure transactions, grouped into blocks, and recorded on the blockchain by the SP, which uses a secure PBFT consensus mechanism within a peer-to-peer SP network, ensuring both data integrity and immutability. Furthermore, the resilience of SK is validated through the ROR model. The resilience and resistance of BSCP-SG against potential attacks are further confirmed through informal analysis. The proposed protocol not only strengthens security but also reduces computational and communication costs, presenting a secure and efficient solution for IoT-based SG systems.