Post-Quantum Cryptography and TEE for 5G VPN in Power Systems: Assessment and Security

The power industry is critically dependent on reliable and secure communication networks for operations such as remote monitoring, real-time scheduling, and smart meter data upload. With the expansion of distributed energy resources, traditional private networks are increasingly insufficient, making the flexible and widely covered public 5G networks a vital alternative. However, the openness of public 5G networks also exposes them to numerous security threats, including data eavesdropping, identity spoofing, and man-in-the-middle attacks. This study addresses these challenges by proposing a comprehensive security access framework that integrates advanced cryptographic technologies, Trusted Execution Environments (TEE), and blockchain to ensure data transmission security, access control reliability, and communication process privacy within public 5G networks for power industry applications. The framework’s innovations include designing network layer security access mechanisms with VPN and tunneling technologies, constructing application layer post-quantum cryptographic solutions, and proposing terminal layer trusted protection strategies. The integration of these technologies aims to enhance the resilience and efficiency of power systems while maintaining high standards of security in public 5G environments.