New Publication: Secure Deployment of Smart Meters
Check out our latest article “Secure Deployment of Smart Meters” which is available open access in IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution. This paper presents a security-focused approach to the initialization and secure installation of smart meters compliant with the DLMS (Device Language Message Specification) standard. First, a systematic cybersecurity risk analysis is conducted to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities in the smart meter deployment process. Based on this analysis, three approaches to secure meter initialization are proposed: initialization by a technician during installation, initialization within a secure facility of the Distribution System Operator (DSO), and initialization performed directly by the manufacturer. These approaches are compared in terms of cybersecurity, operational practicality, and the required exchange of sensitive information between the manufacturer and the DSO. The results indicate that certain variants can minimize or entirely eliminate the transfer of sensitive data while maintaining compliance with the DLMS standard, thereby enhancing overall system resilience and trustworthiness. Finally, the proposed approaches are validated in a real DSO environment. This work is the result of a collaboration with our visiting scholar David Kohout and colleagues at Brno University of Technology in Czechia. See Publications for more details!