Wave Systems Corp. (fka WAVXQ)

[rustyjack]

AP Exclusive: `Smart' meters have security holes

Will a TPM be needed for every electric meter?

"One of the most alarming findings involved a weakness in a communications standard used by the new meters to talk to utilities' computers.

Wright found that hackers could exploit the weakness to break into meters remotely, which would be a key step for shutting down someone's power. Or someone could impersonate meters to the power company, to inflate victims' bills or lower his own. A criminal could even sneak into the utilities' computer networks to steal data or stage bigger attacks on the grid.

Wright said similar vulnerabilities used to be common in wireless Internet networking equipment, but have vanished with an emphasis on better security. "

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100326/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_smart_grid_hacking;_ylt=AoYT1YKuKqsmTUX3aBwr6HP9xg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTNlMDdqNHM3BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMzI2L3VzX3RlY19zbWFydF9ncmlkX2hhY2tpbmcEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM3BHBvcwM3BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDYXBleGNsdXNpdmVz