Providing security in an intelligent electronic device

An intelligent electronic device (IED) comprising:

• a housing:
• at least one sensor connected to the housing and coupled to an electrical distribution system, the at least one sensor configured to measure at least one parameter of the electrical distribution system and generate at least one analog signal indicative of the at least one parameter;
• at least one analog-to-digital converter configured to receive the at least one analog signal and convert the at least one analog signal to at least one digital signal;
• a communication interface connected to the housing and configured to receive at least one communication;
• a processing system positioned in the housing, the processing system including one or more processors, the processing system configured for receiving the at least one digital signal and performing at least one calculation based on the received at least one digital signal;
• a memory including a plurality of memory locations connected to the processing system;
• and
• a sealing switch positioned inside of the housing, the sealing switch in communication with the processing system, wherein activation of the sealing switch sends a switch signal to the processing system.

A method of authenticating a change request to an intelligent electronic device (IED) comprising:

• connecting a computing device with a utility meter, the utility meter including at least one sensor configured to measure at least one parameter of a utility distribution system, at least one analog-to-digital converter configured to receive a signal from the at least one sensor, a least one communication interface configured to send and receive information over a network, a processing system including one or more processors, the processing system configured for receiving the at least one digital signal and performing at least one calculation based on the received at least one digital signal, a memory including a plurality of memory locations connected to the processing system, and a sealing switch in communication with the processing system;
• receiving a communication from a user via the communication interface;
• determining, by the processing system, if a switch signal has been received from the sealing switch;
• and
• initiating, by the processing system, the request if the switch signal has been received within a predetermined time.