| High risk of intrusion into smart grid |
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Smart grid contains the IT that will make it easier to monitor and control the flows in the networks. But the new technology also increases the risk of attack by hackers, according to a U.S. study. - Electricity meters using wireless communications today suffer from the same shortcomings as wireless internet connections ten years ago, "said Marcus Sachs, director of the Internet Storm Center, an organization that monitors viruses, denial of service attacks and other malicious activity on the Internet. It is not the first time that researchers and security consultants warn that the grid filled with IT may experience interference and sabotage. In early 2009 demonstrated safety consultants to the U.S. Company Ioactive how controllers in smart grid proved to be vulnerable to network worms and similar types of malicious code. Even the Wall Street Journal reported in April that year about spies from including China and Russia will have succeeded had entered the U.S. distribution system and planted the malicious code. Sweden and Italy are now the countries of the world where most electricity meters that could be called smart, that is to say that they can communicate back and forth with the network owner. At least 90 percent of the 5.2 million electricity meters in Sweden today are of this type. But according to John Soderbom, working on research and development at Vattenfall the Swedish meters so far, not so much contact with other meters and the rest of the network. - In principle, they are used to report how much electricity household use and for network owners to track breakdowns, "he says. For this to be a real "conversation" between the meter and the access points require new technologies, both in the central system and out of networks, such as the local substations. - However, one can manipulate their own meters and thus reduce their own electricity consumption, "said Johan Soderbom. - But did go even in the old electromechanical meters - the only difference is that in the past used the magnet, now you can cheat by using the code. In guardians also warns that the attackers can attack the electronics in the local and regional distribution networks and the backbone. Where there is a greater concern to Sweden. Today is not just our electricity grid, but also drinking water, district heating and rail services that use computerized control and monitoring systems. |
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