PUF-based solutions for secure communications in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)

In this paper, by considering the constraints of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) systems, we propose an authenticated key exchange protocol and an authenticated message broadcasting protocol. The proposed protocols are based on two well-known protocols, Okamoto and Schnorr, and inherit their security features. For providing the security of the system against physical attacks, we utilize the Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) technology in communication parties. Thus, there is no need to store the secrets in the smart meters which can easily be corrupted. We show that the proposed authenticated key exchange protocol meets all the security requirements such as secure key generation, backward and forward secrecy and explicit authentication. Also, it is shown that the authenticated message broadcasting protocol is secure against corrupted smart meters. The proposed schemes are practical and efficient for providing a secure communication between parties. We believe that our proposed protocols are the best fit for an AMI system.