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IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications

Semi-Quantum Communication for Cyber Secure Microgrid Under Zero-Trust Architecture

Hengji Li, Zibo An, Feixiang Jiao, Xibeng Zhang, Yanyu Zhang, Lei Shi, Feng Wei Huo, Yi Zhou

Published Oct 29, 2025• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

The microgrid faces increasingly severe communication security challenges due to its open and highly interactive characteristics. However, the traditional trust architecture cannot cope with the dynamically changing identity authentication requirements, and data transmission based on classical encryption is vulnerable to attacks from quantum computers. Existing quantum-secure microgrid research typically requires both parties to possess full quantum capabilities, which limits its practicality in real-world deployments. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a semi-quantum secure commu nication framework for microgrids. Firstly, a semi-quantum authentication model based on zero-trust architecture is introduced to support dynamic and secure identity verification between the microgrid central controller (MGCC) and distributed energy resources (DERs). Secondly, a semi-quantum key distribution (SQKD) scheme is integrated, requiring only the MGCC to be fully quantum-capable, thereby reducing system complexity. Additionally, a dynamic key provisioning strategy is designed based on DERs' energy characteristics to improve resource efficiency and system security. Experimental results and analysis provide valuable insights for the design and deployment of semi quantum-enabled microgrid communication.

DOI
10.1109/tia.2025.3626477

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The microgrid faces increasingly severe communication security challenges due to its open and highly interactive characteristics. However, the traditional trust architecture cannot cope with the dynamically changing identity authentication requirements, and data transmission based on classical encryption is vulnerable to attacks from quantum computers. Existing quantum-secure microgrid research typically requires both parties to possess full quantum capabilities, which limits its practicality in real-world deployments. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a semi-quantum secure commu nication framework for microgrids. Firstly, a semi-quantum authentication model based on zero-trust architecture is introduced to support dynamic and secure identity verification between the microgrid central controller (MGCC) and distributed energy resources (DERs). Secondly, a semi-quantum key distribution (SQKD) scheme is integrated, requiring only the MGCC to be fully quantum-capable, thereby reducing system complexity. Additionally, a dynamic key provisioning strategy is designed based on DERs' energy characteristics to improve resource efficiency and system security. Experimental results and analysis provide valuable insights for the design and deployment of semi quantum-enabled microgrid communication.
Existing microgrid communication relies on classical public key systems, which are vulnerable to attacks from quantum computers. This paper uses quantum key distribution (QKD) to solve these quantum-era microgrid challenges. Specifically, this paper makes the following novel contributions: 1) it devises a novel QKD simulator capable of simulating QKD protocols; 2) it offers a QKD-based microgrid communication architecture for microgrids; 3) it shows how to build a quantum-secure microgrid testbed in an RTDS environment; 4) it develops a key pool sharing (KPS) strategy to improve the cyberattack resilience of the QKD-based microgrid; and 5) it analyzes the impacts of critical QKD parameters with the testbed. Test results provide insightful resources for building a quantum-secure microgrid.
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The integration of information and communication technologies has introduced cybersecurity challenges to microgrid (MG) apart from bringing more flexibility, reliability, and resilience. Especially in the upcoming quantum era, the existing cryptographic systems are vulnerable to attacks from quantum computers. Motivated by these challenges, this article proposes a quantum-key-distribution (QKD)-based MG distributed control framework for cybersecurity enhancement. To defend the side-channel attacks and make the framework practical enough for industrial applications, measurement-device-independent QKD (MDI-QKD) is introduced. The following contributions are made in this work. 1) A novel QKD-based quantum-secure control architecture is established to assure the data transmission security in MG distributed control. 2) MDI-QKD with asymmetric protocol is used to form a scalable QKD network for MG control. 3) A method for fast parameter optimization based on deep neural network (DNN) is proposed to adjust the parameters in QKD systems in real-time. Simulations are carried on a 13-bus MG to demonstrate the working principles of the proposed control scheme. The test results also prove the feasibility of the DNN-based parameter optimizer.
The development and evolution of the smart grid into complex, cyber-physical energy systems make it essential to secure?communication among the distributed components. The rise of quantum computing has made it even more pressing to develop protocols that?are secure outside the limitations of classical cryptosystems. In this paper, it proposes a quantum-assisting secure communication scheme (QASCP) to?boost the security and energy for smart grid communication systems. The proposed protocol combines quantum key distribution with lightweight entropy-based mutual authentication and dynamic session management. It is designed to defend grid assets such as control centers, smart meters, and distribute energy?resources from sophisticated adversarial models, including quantum-capable threats. The approach consists of system level simulation utilizing a?co-simulation framework customized for quantum smart grid communication. The performance of this scheme was compared?against classical and PQ lattice-based schemes in terms of the authentication latency, energy consumption, entropy preservation, and scalability to handle the load and delay effects, under the assumptions of different loading and delay scenarios. Simulation results show that QASCP is able to reduce the energy consumption and authenticity latency, simultaneously it keeps the high throughput and leaves strong entropy?under attack scenarios. The protocol is also shown to?remain robust with varying quantum bit error rates as well as having a smaller memory footprint on popular network topologies. The results provide evidence for the practical integration of?quantum-secure communication in smart grid architectures. By addressing security and performance simultaneously, the protocol?provides a path to future-proof energy networks which can support dependable operations in a quantum-enhanced environment. This could be future enhance for energy efficiency.
The growing demand for microgrids (MGs) and networked microgrids (NMGs) is driven by the prospects of improved reliability of energy supply and enhanced resilience of the energy grid in changing energy demands. The integration of data communications and industrial control systems has enabled NMGs to provide real-time monitoring and refined control for applications such as energy load balancing. These systems rely on current public-key cryptosystems to secure data communications based on certain computational hardness assumptions. However, the advent of quantum computing poses a significant threat to these cryptosystems because quantum algorithms, such as Shor’s algorithm, have demonstrated that quantum computers are capable of cracking these cryptosystems in practical time. To address this emerging challenge, quantum secure technologies such as postquantum cryptography and quantum key distribution are being explored as complementary approaches to achieve quantum-resilient security. This article reviews the ideas of quantum-secured NMGs (QS-NMGs) and identifies the relevant quantum-cryptographic technologies for QS-NMGs. The study will help scientists, engineers, and policymakers identify limitations of the current literature and discover future research avenues.
To empower flexible and scalable operations, distributed control of multi-inverter microgrids, based on classical communication networks among distributed energy resources, has attracted considerable attention. Notwithstanding this, resilience of the current schemes on classical communication makes microgrids vulnerable to cyber attacks. Inspired by quantum properties of quantum bits, in this paper, we devise a novel synchronization mechanism. We extend the synchronization framework utilized in distributed control algorithms to networks of quantum systems. By employing the architecture of quantum network, security of the protocol can be enhanced. Test results on two representative ac and dc microgrids validate the efficacy and universality of the quantum distributed control.