%0 Journal Article %J Technology Innovation Management Review %D 2013 %T Security Challenges in Smart-Grid Metering and Control Systems %A Xinxin Fan %A Guang Gong %K authentication %K cybersecurity %K encryption %K privacy %K smart grid %X The smart grid is a next-generation power system that is increasingly attracting the attention of government, industry, and academia. It is an upgraded electricity network that depends on two-way digital communications between supplier and consumer that in turn give support to intelligent metering and monitoring systems. Considering that energy utilities play an increasingly important role in our daily life, smart-grid technology introduces new security challenges that must be addressed. Deploying a smart grid without adequate security might result in serious consequences such as grid instability, utility fraud, and loss of user information and energy-consumption data. Due to the heterogeneous communication architecture of smart grids, it is quite a challenge to design sophisticated and robust security mechanisms that can be easily deployed to protect communications among different layers of the smart grid-infrastructure. In this article, we focus on the communication-security aspect of a smart-grid metering and control system from the perspective of cryptographic techniques, and we discuss different mechanisms to enhance cybersecurity of the emerging smart grid. We aim to provide a comprehensive vulnerability analysis as well as novel insights on the cybersecurity of a smart grid. %B Technology Innovation Management Review %I Talent First Network %C Ottawa %V 3 %P 42-49 %8 07/2013 %G eng %U http://timreview.ca/article/702 %N 7 %1 University of Waterloo Xinxin Fan is a Research Associate in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Canada. He holds a PhD degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, as well as a BSc degree in Applied Mathematics and an MEng degree in Information Systems and Telecommunication Engineering from Xidian University, China. His research interests range from fast and secure software and hardware implementations of cryptographic algorithms to the design and the analysis of security protocols for wireless and wireline networks. %2 University of Waterloo Guang Gong is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Canada, and she is the Managing Director of the Centre for Applied Cryptographic Research at University of Waterloo. She holds a BSc degree in Mathematics, an MSc degree in Applied Mathematics, and a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from universities in China. Dr. Gong has also held a fellowship at the Fondazione Ugo Bordoni, in Rome, Italy, and was Associate Professor at the University of Electrical Science and Technology of China. Her research interests are in the areas of sequence design, cryptography, and communication security. %R http://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/702