Web-engineered ECC-based Group Key Protocol for Secure and Scalable Metering Communication

Abstract

This paper presents a Web-native group key negotiation framework for secure and scalable communication in smart metering networks. Leveraging lightweight elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), the proposed protocol supports dynamic group membership, forward and backward secrecy, and resistance to impersonation and replay attacks – without relying on persistent sessions or centralized trust brokers. Unlike traditional TLS- or MQTT-based approaches, our design adopts stateless REST and CoAP messaging, enabling seamless integration with constrained IoT devices and cloud-native microservice platforms. We architect a modular system comprising smart meters, a secure gateway, and a REST-compliant backend, each aligned with Web of Things (WoT) standards. Group keys are established through a contributory ECC-based exchange that ensures decentralized key computation and rekeying across heterogeneous nodes. The gateway acts as a protocol adapter, translating CoAP messages into REST APIs while enforcing cryptographic policy and interoperability with tools such as Node-RED, Eclipse Leshan, and AWS IoT Core. Performance analysis shows that our protocol achieves group key negotiation in under 450 ms for 25 nodes with message sizes below 220 bytes, outperforming traditional LKH and centralized DH schemes by 30–40% in latency and bandwidth usage. Real-world case studies demonstrate successful deployment in rural microgrids and urban energy-sharing networks. By aligning cryptographic rigor with Web engineering principles, this work offers a practical and extensible solution for secure group communication in emerging energy and IoT infrastructures.