OCPM: Ortho code privacy mechanism in smart grid using ring communication architecture

Abstract Various privacy problems routinely arise when the control center manages the power distribution based on customers’ power usage which is automatically transmitted by smart meters in the smart grid system. Therefore an improved customers’ privacy protection architecture called “Ring Communication Architecture (RCA)” is proposed. In this paper, we propose a novel mechanism focusing on the privacy issues by means of an orthogonal code (“ortho code”) based on the RCA. Our mechanism is performed in two processes: measurement transmission process and payment transmission process. During measurement transmission process, the data measured by smart meters are encrypted by using ortho codes and aggregated in the RCA and then sent to the utility through an aggregator. The utility can decrypt each measurement from the receiving aggregation data and charge customers in payment transmission process without realizing the privacy of customers. By the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the performance and security, the proposed mechanism can achieve low power consumption and efficient encryption as well as prevent snooping attack, modification attack, masquerading attack, and replaying attack which threaten the smart grid.