Smart Grid, Smarter Hackers

Researchers have discovered several security vulnerabilities in Smart Grid, a digitally based system designed to give customers and power companies better control over their electricity use. These flaws could allow hackers to access the network and cut power via the network. With more than 2 million devices in play and 17 million more planned for release in the coming years, the potential ramifications are devastating.

CNN recently reported that

IOActive, a professional security services firm, determined that an attacker with $500 of equipment and materials and a background in electronics and software engineering could "take command and control of the [advanced meter infrastructure] allowing for the en masse manipulation of service to homes and businesses."

Experts said that once in the system, a hacker could gain control of thousands, even millions, of meters and shut them off simultaneously. A hacker also might be able to dramatically increase or decrease the demand for power, disrupting the load balance on the local power grid and causing a blackout. These experts said such a localized power outage would cascade to other parts of the grid, expanding the blackout. No one knows how big it could get.

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