Meters Hacked http://www.darkgovernment.com/
A series of hacks perpetrated against so-called “smart meter” installations
over the past several years may have cost a single U.S. electric utility
hundreds of millions of dollars annually, the FBI said in a cyber intelligence
bulletin obtained by KrebsOnSecurity. The law enforcement agency said this is
the first known report of criminals compromising the hi-tech meters, and that it
expects this type of fraud to spread across the country as more utilities deploy
smart grid technology. Part of an FBI alert about smart meter hacks. Smart
meters are intended to improve efficiency, reliability, and allow the electric
utility to charge different rates for electricity at different times of day.
Smart grid technology also holds the promise of improving a utility’s ability
to remotely read meters to determine electric usage. But it appears that some of
these meters are smarter than others in their ability to deter hackers and block
unauthorized modifications. The FBI warns that insiders and individuals with
only a moderate level of computer knowledge are likely able to compromise meters
with low-cost tools and software readily available on the Internet. Sometime in
2009, an electric utility in Puerto Rico asked the FBI to help it investigate
widespread incidents of power thefts that it believed was related to its smart
meter deployment. In May 2010, the bureau distributed an intelligence alert
about its findings to select industry personnel and law enforcement officials.
Citing confidential sources, the FBI said it believes former employees of the
meter manufacturer and employees of the utility were altering the meters in
exchange for cash and training others to do so. “These individuals are
charging $300 to $1,000 to reprogram residential meters, and about $3,000 to
reprogram commercial meters,” the alert states. The FBI believes that
miscreants hacked into the smart meters using an optical converter device —
such as an infrared light — connected to a laptop that allows the smart meter
to communicate with the computer. After making that connection, the thieves
changed the settings for recording power consumption using software that can be
downloaded from the Internet. Chemical Control of Rioting
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