An Efficient Authentication Mechanism based on Software-Defined Networks for Electric Vehicles

The smart grid employs information and communication technologies to improve the management of the electric system. Devices connected to the grid can cause damage to the electric system if they exhibit unpredictable behavior. Electric vehicles are examples of critical devices which do not have a defined time or place to connect to the power grid. Therefore, the smart grid requires a mechanism to identify each electric vehicle and avoid spurious devices, and also providing the correct billing and auditing logs. In this paper, we propose an authentication mechanism grounded on software-defined networks and based on the IEC 61850 standard. The proposed mechanism acts over the data link layer and guarantees the devices' authentication with a low control load. The proposal ensures that only authenticated devices communicate within the smart grid, preventing malicious interference from unauthorized devices. A prototype was developed and evaluated through emulation in Mininet. The test results show low authentication time and low control load even when many electrical vehicles authenticates simultaneously.