Towards trusted metering in the smart grid

With the evolution of the smart grid, most homes will be equipped with smart meters that support consumption reading, demand response and applications requiring two-way communications. In this context, security is a key aspect for smart grid adoption, especially since customers will have physical access to smart meters installed in their premises. Customers will be able to modify the software, firmware or hardware of the smart meter for their own benefit; additionally, remote attackers can mount cyber-attacks against smart meters. To address these challenges we have designed and evaluated a trusted computing environment for smart meters that provides secure storage of cryptographic keys and sensitive data, remote attestation, and protection to sensitive smart grid applications. The performance evaluation shows that our proposal is efficient and can be applied to embedded devices, like smart meters.