Smart meters may leave homes vulnerable to cyber criminals

NEW smart energy meters that the Government wants installed in millions of homes will leave householders vulnerable to cyber attacks, it has been claimed.

GCHQ is reported to have raised concerns over security of the meters, which could enable hackers to steal personal details and defraud consumers by tampering with bills, it is alleged.

The Government wants every home to have a smart meter, but only 8 million of 27 million households have so far signed up to the £11 billion scheme.

The meters are designed to help consumers keep on top of their energy use and send meter readings electronically.

However, the roll-out of a second generation of smart meters, known as SMETS 2, has been delayed because of worries about security.

The new meters will be common to all electricity and gas suppliers, meaning customers will no longer have to change their meter if they change supplier, as they currently have to do.

But cyber security experts say that universal meters will be more attractive to hackers, as every meter can be hacked using the same software.

In some other countries hackers have already attacked smart meter networks to defraud customers. The criminals artificially inflate meter readings, making bills higher. They then try to intercept payments; if they skim off the difference between the real reading and the false reading, energy companies think the bill has been paid normally.

Another potential problem is the meters being used as a “Trojan horse” to access other computers and gadgets around the home, if the meters are able to “talk” to the other devices. That would potentially give hackers the ability to steal personal information.

There are also fears that countries such as North Korea might carry out a state-sponsored cyber attack to create a power surge to damage the National Grid.

Robert Cheesewright, of Smart Energy GB, the agency promoting the roll-out, said: “Smart meters are one of the safest and most secure pieces of technology in your home. Only energy data is stored on a meter and this is encrypted. Your name, address, bank account or other financial details are not stored on the meter.”

Smart meters were developed by the government with the help of GCHQ.

Dr Ian Levy, of GCHQ, says in an article about smart metering on the National Cyber Security Centre website: “Of course, no system is completely secure, and nothing is invulnerable.

“However, we’re confident that the Smart Metering System strikes the best balance between security and business needs, whilst meeting broader policy and national security objectives.”