Re: [smartgrid-discuss] more thoughts

[Arshad Noor <arshad.noor@strongauth.com>]

As I am somewhat new to this list - and to this sector - I am a
little in the dark about how things are today and how things are
being designed for the future.  I trust the forum will be patient
with some of my questions in the short-term.

Since the smart grid forum is discussing potential new standards
for messages, and since so much of our economy is based on the use
of computers and networks, is there an articulation of the security
goals for this bold future (other than "it must be secure") when
its business will be conducted using computers & networks?

I am specifically interested in business-level requirements for
securing messages between players in this industry for:

1) Message Authenticity;
2) Message Integrity; and
3) Data Confidentiality.

I'm not specifically interested in these attributes when messages
are traversing the networks, but when they are in a database of
a 24/7 application on servers, or when they're on a flash-based
EEPROM of some "smart-meter" where the homeowner or business-owner
has pre-configured rules for demand reduction.  How will these
"messages" be protected from attack and being compromised at the
source and destination?

Do such requirements exist somewhere, where one can read them and
come upto speed?

Thanks.

Arshad Noor
StrongAuth, Inc.

David Holmberg wrote:
> Some more thoughts on pricing:
> 
> We need price communicated like the sticker on a car on the car lot. 
> Some standard format for what information should be on the sticker, so 
> the consumer can select what they want. So, its not just a price, its 
> many variables, and the market needs to allow for the sale of electrcity 
> based on a variety of popular options. A utility may market a half dozen 
> (or infinite--you pick your flavor) varieties of power options to be 
> "green" or "wind" or "low-cost" or whatever. We need a market where the 
> customer can say what they want in terms of a few variables and priority 
> (price, carbon-content, generator specific, power quality). I mention 
> generator specific, because customers may want to buy power from "that 
> place", just like you want a product from this vendor or that. We need 
> an ID for each generator that gets passed to the customer and allows the 
> customer to go get more info (like a website) on a generator.
> 
> At the wholesale level there has to be a similar market. The ISO can't 
> just take bids based on price now. The ISO has to consider all the same 
> factors so as to meet the demands of the popular options. We might have 
> cheap coal, but if all the local utilities' customers want is green, 
> then I won't dispatch the coal plant. Or in other words, the bids have 
> to include a green value.
> 
> So, what is the status of a standard for carbon value?
> 
> David
> 
> David Holmberg
> NIST Building & Fire Research Lab
> Building Environment Division, Mechanical Systems and Controls Group
> 100 Bureau Drive, Bldg. 226, Room B114, MS 8631, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8631
> TEL: 301/975-6450   FAX: 301/975-8973
>