Quantum resistant protocol secures peer to peer energy trading networks
Quantum-Resilient Secure Protocol for Decentralized Edge-IoT Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading Systems
Cryptography and Security
Summary
Quantum computers can break many current security systems, which puts peer-to-peer energy trading in smart grids at risk. The authors propose a new security method that uses quantum-resistant cryptography to keep communications safe among IoT-enabled smart meters. They also use a special type of blockchain to make sure transactions are transparent and can be revoked efficiently. Their method performs better and is more secure than existing approaches, helping to build safer decentralized energy markets.
What this means in practice
- •For energy system operators: Secure P2P energy trading data flows among smart meters to maintain privacy and integrity despite quantum threats.
- •For blockchain developers: Implement quantum-resilient public distributed ledgers that record and revoke IoT device registrations in decentralized energy networks.
- •For smart grid equipment manufacturers: Develop and market smart meters with built-in quantum-resistant security protocols for future-proof energy trading systems.$Commercial implications: Enables sale of secure smart metering devices compliant with post-quantum cryptography standards needed as quantum computing advances.
Authors
Ali Shahidinejad, Jamshid Aghaei, Mahdi Jalili
Abstract
The rise of quantum computing presents substantial challenges to the security of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) energy trading systems. This paper introduces an innovative mutual authenticated session key agreement protocol aimed at protecting edge-IoT P2P energy trading communications in the quantum era. Each peer is an IoT-enabled smart metering device that is registered by an edge registration authority and acts as both producer and consumer. The proposed protocol incorporates CRYSTALS-Kyber's quantum-resistant cryptographic suite to guarantee the authenticity and confidentiality of negotiated session keys in the presence of quantum threats. Furthermore, it leverages the Hedera Hashgraph public blockchain, which is recognized for its quantum-resilient design, to ensure transparency and support efficient revocation mechanisms. Extensive comparative analyses have been conducted to demonstrate the protocol's superiority over existing alternatives, including both traditional schemes based on classical cryptography and emerging early-stage post-quantum approaches, in terms of performance and security features. By combining robust security and high efficiency, the proposed protocol fosters the development of resilient decentralized energy markets, paving the way for secure and sustainable energy distribution in the future.