RIOT-based smart metering system for privacy-preserving data aggregation using watermarking and encryption

2025-01-10

AI Summary

To address privacy-security threats—including data theft, tampering, and energy-consumption pattern leakage—during data collection and transmission in smart grids, this paper proposes an IoT-oriented privacy-preserving aggregation scheme enhanced with reversible watermarking. We innovatively design a dual-mode reversible digital watermarking protocol: LSB shifting (RLS) for low-frequency smart meters and reversible difference expansion (RDE) for high-frequency meters, achieving the first joint optimization of embedding capacity, real-time performance, and full reversibility. Integrated with AES-128 encryption and a lightweight embedded security protocol, the scheme enables real-time, zero-distortion data reconstruction on RIOT OS and the Nucleo platform. Experimental results demonstrate a 23% reduction in communication overhead, end-to-end latency ≤120 ms, and robust resistance against replay and tampering attacks—significantly enhancing confidentiality, integrity, and identity anonymity.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Internet of Things, Sensor Networks & Smart Cities
• Machine Learning: Privacy
• Intelligent Robots: Cognitive Robotics

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Responsible Web: Data and user privacy-enhancing technologies for the Web

Abstract

The remarkable advancement of smart grid technology in the IoT sector has raised concerns over the privacy and security of the data collected and transferred in real-time. Smart meters generate detailed information about consumers' energy consumption patterns, increasing the risks of data breaches, identity theft, and other forms of cyber attacks. This study proposes a privacy-preserving data aggregation protocol that uses reversible watermarking and AES cryptography to ensure the security and privacy of the data. There are two versions of the protocol: one for low-frequency smart meters that uses LSB-shifting-based reversible watermarking (RLS) and another for high-frequency smart meters that uses difference expansion-based reversible watermarking (RDE). This enables the aggregation of smart meter data, maintaining confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity. The proposed protocol significantly enhances privacy-preserving measures for smart metering systems, conducting an experimental evaluation with real hardware implementation using Nucleo microcontroller boards and the RIOT operating system and comparing the results to existing security schemes.

Problem

• Smart Grid
• Data Security
• Privacy Protection

Innovation

• Reversible Watermarking
• AES Encryption
• Data Aggregation Protocol