A Key Exchange Method for Intelligent Electronic Devices in Distribution Automation

The use of communication networks and intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) for power systems is becoming more common and more necessary. Changes in the power system structure, changes in requirements and the necessity to have easy access to accurate data have led to the need for communication systems. Due to these changes, communication systems with IEDs in power companies expose the safety-critical power companies´ network to the multitude security problems of communication networks. This paper proposes a method called multiple channel secure acknowledging multicast, which merges the tasks of acknowledgment and key changes in a simple and direct manner to make exposed IEDs more secure in distribution automation.