Utility Meter Encryption via Segmented Bitwise Operations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication protocols for utility meters do not employ encryption, leading to risks such as falsification of bills and unauthorized access to personal information.
Innovation Solution
A system that encrypts communication messages between utility meters and servers using a unidirectional encryption algorithm, suitable for the hardware specifications of utility meters, which involves generating and verifying encrypted request and meter reading messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If encryption technology is applied to the communication protocol, then security against falsification and unauthorized access is improved, but hardware complexity and power consumption increase beyond the capabilities of utility meter hardware
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption process is divided into multiple independent steps: generating a first encrypted character string using a unidirectional encryption algorithm on a first interval, inserting it into a second interval, then performing bitwise operations M1 times with symmetric keys. This segmentation allows the utility meter to perform encryption in manageable stages that fit within its hardware constraints while achieving strong overall security.
Solution Approach 2:
The utility meter performs the unidirectional encryption operation on the first interval before inserting it into the second interval, and the server performs verification of the encrypted character string before processing the meter reading message. These preliminary actions ensure security is established early in the communication process, preventing unauthorized access before data is fully transmitted or processed.
2Reliability
If high-level encryption is implemented, then protection against unauthorized access is improved, but power consumption exceeds the limited battery capacity of utility meters
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption process is divided into multiple independent steps: generating a first encrypted character string using a unidirectional encryption algorithm on a first interval, inserting it into a second interval, then performing bitwise operations M1 times with symmetric keys. This segmentation allows the utility meter to perform encryption in manageable stages that fit within its hardware constraints while achieving strong overall security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs bitwise operations M1 times where M1 is greater than or equal to N1 (the number of symmetric keys), providing enhanced security through multiple passes. This partial excessive action ensures strong encryption while allowing optimization of the iteration count to balance security requirements against the utility meter's limited power budget.
3Reliability
If complex encryption algorithms are used, then security against falsification is improved, but calculation requirements exceed the processing capacity of utility meter hardware
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption process is divided into multiple independent steps: generating a first encrypted character string using a unidirectional encryption algorithm on a first interval, inserting it into a second interval, then performing bitwise operations M1 times with symmetric keys. This segmentation allows the utility meter to perform encryption in manageable stages that fit within its hardware constraints while achieving strong overall security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary verification mechanism where the server generates a second encrypted character string from the reconstructed message and compares it with the received first encrypted character string. This intermediary verification step allows the system to use strong encryption algorithms while providing a simplified validation process that reduces the computational burden on the utility meter's limited hardware.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a utility meter including: a communication unit configured to receive an encrypted request message from a server configured to generate a first request message, generate a first encrypted character string by encrypting a part corresponding to a first interval in the first request message through a unidirectional encryption algorithm, generate a second request message by inserting all or some of the first encrypted character string into a second interval in the first request message, and generate the encrypted request message by performing a bitwise operation on a part of the second request message M1 (M1 being a natural number) times according to a first sequence; a meter reading unit configured to generate meter data; and a controller configured to generate a reconstructed message by inversely performing the bitwise operation on the part of the encrypted request message M1 times according to a first inverse sequence opposing the first sequence, generate a second encrypted character string by encrypting a part corresponding to a first interval in the reconstructed message through the unidirectional encryption algorithm, compare a character string to be compared corresponding to a second interval in the reconstructed message with all or some of the second encrypted character string, generate an encrypted meter reading message by encrypting meter data when it is determined that the encrypted request message is normal, and control the communication unit to transmit the encrypted meter reading message to the server.