A Public key Based Quantum Secure Digital Signature Scheme for Securing IEC 61850 R-GOOSE and R-SV Messages

With the increasing adaptation of IEC 61850 for power utility automation, Routable Generic Object-Oriented Substation Events (R-GOOSE) and Routable Sampled Value (R-SV) are widely employed for grid protection and real time control applications. To ensure security against cyber-attacks, the IEC 61850-90-5 standard recommends the utilization of message authentication code (MAC) symmetric key algorithms to achieve authenticity and integrity. However, for symmetric key algorithms key management still poses a significant concern, as mismanagement or compromise of secret keys could undermine the entire security critical R-GOOSE and R-SV messages. Furthermore, with the advent of quantum computing, traditional cryptographic algorithms are vulnerable, necessitating the development of quantum-safe methods. This paper proposes the usage of FALCON-based quantum-secure digital signature schemes for securing R-GOOSE and R-SV messages. A detailed framework for implementing the FALCON digital signature scheme (FDSS) is presented, along with the development of a custom library for generating secure R-GOOSE and R-SV messages. Furthermore, an experimental network emulation platform is developed to assess the computational overheads and communication delays associated with FDSS implementation. The applicability of FDSS for R-GOOSE and R-SV messages under different applications is evaluated.