Open Access

ARTICLE

Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data and ECDH-Based Key Exchange for Secure Smart Grid Power Monitoring and Simulation

Chung-Pao Lin¹, Yi-You Hou^2,*, Teh-Lu Liao¹

1 Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
2 Department of Intelligent Commerce, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

* Corresponding Author: Yi-You Hou. Email:

Computers, Materials & Continua 2026, 89(2), 44 https://doi.org/10.32604/cmc.2026.085788

Received 18 May 2026; Accepted 16 July 2026; Issue published 15 September 2026

Abstract

Smart grids (SG) integrate multiple network entities to achieve automation, but their interconnected nature also exposes communication networks to various security threats, such as replay, tampering, and man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. Existing encryption frameworks for smart grid edge devices often suffer from high computational complexity or lack of dynamic key management, leading to key leakage risks and communication bottlenecks. To address these challenges, this research proposes a lightweight end-to-end secure communication architecture specifically designed for smart grid power monitoring. This framework employs the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol as the asynchronous communication backbone, effectively alleviating network traffic pressure and minimizing message latency. To ensure robust data protection without compromising efficiency, we introduce an Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD) model based on the ChaCha20-Poly1305 algorithm, tightly binding device context identity with associated data to prevent unauthorized node impersonation. Furthermore, this study combines an ephemeral Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) protocol with localized pre-shared authentication to establish a secure dynamic key exchange framework. In addition to verifying threat mitigation capabilities against the STRIDE model through targeted security analyses, the framework’s performance was evaluated on an industrial testbed. Benchmark results across three experimental devices, totaling 30,000 continuous execution events (10,000 iterations per device), prove the framework achieves an exceptionally low average edge encryption latency of less than 3.5 $\mathrm{\mu }$s ($\approx$0.0035 ms) and maintains a physical control loop latency well under 1 ms. Compared to state-of-the-art security solutions, our architecture significantly reduces cryptographic overhead and transmission latency, providing a highly secure, scalable, and easy-to-operate solution for power telemetry in modern smart grids.

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Keywords

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