Risk-Aware Secure Routing Mechanism for Power Communication Networks Based on GNNs

INTRODUCTION: As digital transformation progresses, power communication networks become exposed to increasingly complex security threats. Moreover, traditional routing algorithms cannot perceive or respond to dynamic security threats, making reliable data transmission difficult to achieve under network attack conditions. OBJECTIVES: Therefore, this study proposes a risk-aware secure routing (RASR) mechanism for power communication networks based on graph neural networks (GNNs). METHODS: The mechanism first introduces an autoencoder-graph neural network (AGNN) architecture for determining critical nodes, thus establishing a scoring prediction model customized to the structure of power communication backbone networks. It then integrates the essential scores of the nodes, historical failure rates, and traffic load factors to devise a path node risk quantification model. Finally, it incorporates risk quantification results into routing policies to enable proactive routing avoidance and thus bypass high-risk nodes. RESULTS: Experimental results show that the RASR algorithm effectively meets the differentiated service requirements of heterogeneous traffic—including delay-sensitive, bandwidth-sensitive, and reliability-sensitive traffic. Compared with traditional routing algorithms, it demonstrates greater stability and fault tolerance under high-risk attack scenarios while eliminating the need for redundant backup strategies, thereby markedly reducing resource overhead. CONCLUSION: Therefore, the proposed mechanism offers  important theoretical support and a novel technical approach for establishing secure, reliable power communication networks.