PALK: Password-based anonymous lightweight key agreement framework for smart grid

Abstract Smart grid (SG) is a highly efficient and more reliable framework that controls the computer, automation, new technologies and equipment. In SG, electricity utilization and communication are exchange between consumers and the power grid. Security and privacy are essential components of SG communication. Various key agreement protocols have been presented for SG communication. Among these some protocols have security issues or high computational overhead. In the proposed paper, we design a password-based anonymous lightweight key agreement framework for smart grid (PALK) by using elliptic curve cryptography. We provide a formal security analysis of the PALK which is based on the random oracle model and informal security analysis. Moreover, we prove that PALK is security against man-in-the-middle attack and replay attack using the simulation tool “AVISPA”. Also, we demonstrate that PALK has better computation and communication costs than other related protocols in the same environment. The proposed framework is a real-life application in SG communication.