Practical issues on key distribution in power line networks

Installing a power line communication infrastructure for energy management that allows collecting and deploying information down to the premises of customers requires an integrated security system. Otherwise the risk of malicious use of the network and the connected control facilities would imply a risk much too high. This article describes the security functions and the key management system of the REMPLI (real-time energy management via powerlines and Internet) project that is implemented to guarantee integrity, authenticity and confidentiality of transmitted information. The challenges of the system are the resource limited equipment and the bandwidth constraints of the power line, which are mastered by a four layered security system using symmetric cryptography and hierarchical key systems.