Thalia Assuras from EnergyNow.com sat down with former CIA Director James Woolsey to discuss the current state of the nation’s electric grid and its vulnerabilities. Woolsey says the federal government’s oversight of grid security is inadequate and attacks on the grid are “entirely possible”.
“No one in charge of security for the grid, whether it’s cyber or transformers or whatever. You can search forever through the federal code to try to find who that person might be.”
“And a so-called ‘Smart Grid’ that is as vulnerable as what we’ve got is not smart at all, it’s a really, really stupid grid.”
[SSM UK comment] We issued a video earlier featuring David Chalk, but this press release just came in and is a must read – posted here in full with the video re-embedded via BusinessWire.com and ThePowerFilm.org. Please circulate.[/]
“100% certainty of a total catastrophic failure of entire energy grid within 3 years – worse than nuclear war”
VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The vulnerability of the energy industry’s new wireless smart grid will inevitably lead to lights out for everyone, according to leading cyber expert David Chalk. In an online interview for an upcoming documentary film entitled ‘Take Back Your Power’ (www.ThePowerFilm.org), Chalk says the entire power grid will be at risk to being taken down by cyber attack, and if installations continue it’s only a matter of time.
“We’re in a state of crisis,” said Chalk. “The front door is open and there is no lock to be had. There is not a power meter or device on the grid that is protected from hacking – if not already infected – with some sort of trojan horse that can cause the grid to be shut down or completely annihilated.”
“One of the most amazing things that has happened to mankind in the last 100 years is the Internet. It’s given us possibility beyond our wildest imagination. But we also know the vulnerabilities that exist inside of it. And then we have the backbone, the power grid that powers our nations. Those two are coming together. And it’s the smart meter on your home or business that’s now allowing that connectivity.”
Chalk also issued a challenge to governments, media and technology producers to show him one piece of digital technology that is hack-proof.
“The computer companies that are involved, the manufacturers that are involved, bring forward a technology and I will show you that it’s penetrable,” said Chalk. “I’ll do it on national TV, I’ll do it anywhere. But I can guarantee you 100% that there is nothing out there today – nothing – that can’t be penetrated.”
Chalk’s strong words come amidst increasing reports of the smart grid’s fatal insecurities, even from the governments and energy companies who are forcing their hand with the smart program. “Every endpoint [meter] is a new potential threat vector,” according to Doug Powell, manager, SMI Security, Privacy & Safety, for Canadian utility BC Hydro.
And in an interview with EnergyNow.com, former CIA Director James Woolsey was also highly critical of energy policy makers, whose plans received multi-billion dollar funding as part of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. “The so-called ‘smart grid’ that is as vulnerable as what we’ve got now is not smart at all,” said Woolsey. “It’s a really, really stupid grid.”
But there’s more. In an audit released in January, the US Inspector General Gregory Friedman was also highly critical. “Without a formal risk assessment and associated mitigation strategy, threats and weaknesses may go unidentified and expose the … systems to an unacceptable level of risk,” Friedman wrote.
Energy officials knew of these weaknesses but approved plans for the projects anyway, auditors said. “The initial weaknesses had not always been fully addressed, and did not include a number of security practices commonly recommended for federal government and industry systems.”
And security is not the only technologically-based obstacle faced by smart grid proponents. In March, alarm bells were rung following current CIA Director David Patraeus’ confirmation that governments will use wireless smart appliances to spy on citizens. “Items of interest will be located, identified, monitored, and remotely controlled through technologies such as radio-frequency identification, sensor networks, tiny embedded servers, and energy harvesters,” Patraeus said at a meeting of In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital firm. He added that this will prompt a rethink of “our notions of identity and secrecy.”
With strong criticism to the smart grid now coming from many directions, energy corporations and governments now have the challenge to explain to an increasingly unapproving public why they continue to fast-track smart grid installations.
Citizen groups and organizations throughout the US, Canada and Europe have launched legal actions to stop the installation of smart meters. They cite issues such as cost increases, health risks, privacy concerns, grid vulnerability and the lack of democratic process. In Chalk’s home province of British Columbia, Citizens for Safe Technology (www.citizensforsafetechnology.org) and the BC Coalition to Stop Smart Meters are leading a growing challenge.
Options for opting out of the smart metering program have been announced in markets including California, Maine, Vermont, Louisiana, Michigan, Connecticut, Quebec, the UK and the Netherlands. In the US, several regions including the counties of Santa Cruz and Marin are enforcing outright moratoriums.
“Unless we wake up and realize what we’re doing, there is 100% certainty of total catastrophic failure of the entire power infrastructure within 3 years,” said Chalk. “This could actually be worse than a nuclear war, because it would happen everywhere. How governments and utilities are blindly merging the power grid with the Internet, and effectively without any protection, is insanity at its finest.”
The full video interview with David Chalk can be seen on www.thepowerfilm.org. The feature film documentary ‘Take Back Your Power’, which critically examines the smart grid program, will be released online this spring.
[SSM UK] Comment: If you were an institutional shareholder in an Energy company – caring for little else besides profit and return on investment – would you continue investing in that company if they lobbied for and promoted costly devices which reduced profits? Is there a chance that these energy company-installed devices are performing exactly as they were intended?
“Millions of green energy meters may have to be replaced because the technology is not working properly.
“Homes and businesses which have already installed the digital devices have had problems switching to cheap deals and are even being hit with extra fees.
“Many meters could have to be stripped out altogether and reinstalled with a Government-approved model.”
“Two German researchers have exploited security holes in a smart meter service to alter energy consumption rates, expose privacy flaws and determine what movies consumers had watched.
“Dario Carluccio and Stephan Brinkhaus demonstrated the flaws with German energy company Discovergy at the Chaos Computing Congress in Berlin.
“The researchers, also customers, learnt that energy consumption data was sent unencrypted because SSL was malfunctioning.”
“Putting ‘smart’ gas and electricity meters in every home – at a total cost of £11.7billion – may bring little benefit to customers, MPs will warn today.
“Families will have to pay higher bills to fund the Government-backed scheme to have the digital equipment installed by 2019.
“And there is no evidence the energy giants will pass on to customers any of the millions of pounds they will save with the introduction of the new technology, MPs say.
“Smart meters give real-time information on a home’s energy use and cost, and Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has backed them, arguing they will encourage families to cut back to save money while also lowering carbon emissions.
“Energy firms support the technology because it can supply precise meter readings automatically over the mobile phone network, thereby allowing them to lay-off thousands of meter readers and billing staff.
“It will also allow them to cut off homes at the click of a mouse.”
Most Americans have not yet heard of the “smart meters” that are being installed at a rapid pace across the state of California and across our nation. Most Americans are totally unaware that someone will soon be showing up at your home, and, without knocking, or asking for your permission, will remove your old analog meter and replace it with a new “smart meter.” Is this something you would really want?
What is a smart meter? It is one that contains RF (radio frequency) so that it can be remotely controlled and read. No longer will a meter reader have to come to your home to read the meter. It will all be done remotely. When all is in place, the smart meter will not only keep track of how much electricity you are using, but it will be able to control, regulate, and ration your use of that electricity. If “big brother” decides that you are using too much heat in the winter time, or too much air conditioning in the summer time, or using too much hot water in your showers or washing machine (even if you are willing to pay for that extra usage), that use of power will be automatically turned down. A future goal is to have all appliances replaced with those containing RF chips for even more regulations and controls.
To most Americans, this is a little too much “big brother” snooping into our private lives and trying to control every aspect of them. They never would allow such a thing to happen and would say no, but most Americans are not even asked. The installation is happening without their knowledge. Supposedly when it is done, a sign is hung on the front doorknob informing the homeowner of the switch to a smart meter, but in many cases, no sign was left. The homeowner had not idea until his energy rates suddenly start changing, usually going much higher.
Why the Rise in Energy Rates with the Smart Meter? One of the propaganda ads that was sent out to homeowners about the smart meter was that this will be a way to save energy and lower costs, but those who have the meter already are finding out that is not the case. A man called to find out why his rates had gone up and was told that now that the meter could read exactly what time of the day that he was washing his clothes or using his air conditioner, PG&E could determine if that was “peak time” or not, and since it was “peak time” then he would have to pay “peak premium rates.” If he wanted to save money then he could wash his clothes in the middle of the night or use his air conditioner then (when he really didn’t need it anymore because the temperature is cooler).
Health Risks: People who are doing their own research on smart meters are finding out that not only is this an invasion of their privacy and property, their energy rates are increasing, but there is an enormous health risk with so much exposure to electromagnetic/radioactive waves. We already are being bombarded with them through our use of computers, cell phones, remote control phones, and so many other remote-control devises, that with the smart meters, more and more RF waves will be permeating our homes. There are documented reports of the effects these waves are having on people’s health, such as: loss of memory, dizziness, nausea, headaches, migraines, muscle spasms, insomnia, and even cancer.
Who are really behind the smart meters? In California, it is being mandated by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC). It is probably the same in other states, but maybe the PUC has a different name. However, it is really being mandated across the nation by the Obama administration, and stimulus money is providing the funding.
And it is not just in the United States. It is being mandated in Europe by the European Union. Just about every country in Europe is now also having smart meters installed. By doing more research, one finds out that smart meters are part of “smart growth” or “sustainable development” or “Agenda 21,” a plan devised by the United Nations in 1992, and signed onto by both President Bush Sr. and President Clinton. The ultimate goal is to exercise more and more control over our lives and property using the excuse of “saving the environment.”
Is it too late to say No? The installers in California are coming from the Wellington Energy company, who are working for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). They will tell any property owner who objects and does not want the smart meters, that they have no choice. It is mandatory. They either need to allow them to install them now or will have to pay more for the service when the installer has to return. People who are uninformed give in and allow it to happen.
What you can do: You, the property owner, have every right to object. This is your property. Your tax dollars are paying for the stimulus money that is providing the funding. Your monthly payment to PG&E, or whoever is your energy provider, pays for their providing you with their energy service. Legally, to say no and to have the installer honor your objection, you must have an official notice signed by you, the property owner (or the tenant) hanging over the meter stating your objection. If you have both an electric meter and gas that PG&E services, hang a sign over both meters. Mine is laminated so it is better protected against rain. It states: