Hacking a Smart Meter and Killing the Grid
The following article, and link to another, raises the very real possibility that smart meters and the smart grid itself could be hacked and disabled by rogue chips embedded into electronic circuit boards. A prime suspect in this is China, where most of the equipment is made. This should be of the upmost concern to the Australian government considering the significant penetration of Chinese companies in Australia’s power grids, as examined in the Australian ABC report: Chinese investment in Australia’s power grid explained
Also see the US ABC news report: Chinese hacking US Banks, Power grids
And for Australian subscribers to this blog, recommended reading (for those not prone to depression) is Clive Hamilton’s Silent Invasion, China’s influence in Australia
Don
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by K.T. Weaver, SkyVision Solutions
Excerpt:
Nick Hunn of Creative Connectivity published an article this month entitled, “How to Hack a Smart Meter and Kill the Grid “ And then all the lights went out.” [1]
Hunn says his new article is one he “would have preferred not to write” but felt obligated to issue a formal warning before “the lights go out.”
Nick Hunn is more convinced than ever that evidence now exists that rogue chips may be embedded into electronic circuit boards during the manufacturing process, such as those contained within utility smart meters. Smart meters can be considered high value targets for hackers due to the existence of the “remote disconnect” feature included as an option for most smart meters deployed today.
More specifically, quoting Hunn”s article:
“I”ve always been concerned about the vulnerability of the British smart meters to hacking at the manufacturing stage. The reason for that concern is that these meters contain an OFF switch which allows power to be disconnected by the energy supplier. This is a convenience for them, as they no longer need to send someone round to gain access to a building. However, if it were ever hacked, the hackers could turn off millions of meters at the same time. That could be used to destroy the electricity grid…SNIP
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