SoC-e releases IEC 61850/62351 SASCrypt IP Core

February 7, 2018 -- IEC 62351 is a standard developed for handling the security of IEC 61850 series protocols amongs others. The different security objectives include authentication of data transfer through digital signatures, ensuring only authenticated access, prevention of eavesdropping, prevention of playback and spoofing, and intrusion detection. The IEC 62351-6 part provides security for IEC 61850 profiles.

SoC-e has released the IEC 61850/62351 Substation Automation Systems Cryptographic (SASCrypt) IP Core. This IP Core secures the strict real-time traffic used in the Substation Automation Systems and in new Smart Grid premises. It protects GOOSE and Sample-Measured-Values (SMV) frames used to communicate critical equipment within these premises like Merging Units or IEDs. This low-latency IP Core is capable of encrypting, decrypting and authenticating GOOSE or SMV at wire-speed.

SASCrypt IP Core integrates a proprietary low-latency cryptographic cipher specifically optimized for this task. This cipher module provides the required performance with an optimum resource utilization and introducing a delay of few microseconds.

SASCrypt IP is supported on the following Xilinx FPGA Families:

• 6-Series (Spartan, Virtex)
• 7-Series (Zynq, Spartan, Artix, Kintex, Virtex)
• Ultrascale (Kintex, Virtex)
• Ultrascale+ (Zynq MPSoC, Kintex, Virtex)

The reference designs that include the SASCrypt IP Core can be evaluated in SoC-e’s SMARTzynq Brick and SMARTmpsoc Brick.