Probably the most effective way for any terrorist group or belligerent power to cripple a Western nation and bring it to its knees is to destroy its electricity grid. Without power, most of the infrastructure will crumble into chaos within a few weeks. Manufacturing would come to […]
Read more →Archive for the Hacking Category
The UK’s electronic intelligence agency has had to act with haste to secure smart meters destined for large scale roll-out, after a security loophole was discovered on the devices. GCHQ intervened to change the original designs and save the £11bn nationwide system of smart energy meters against […]
Read more →Of all critical infrastructure, the public water system might seem the least vulnerable to a cyber attack. But that might be changing, with the increasing adoption of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) that controls the water supply remotely, according to John McNabb, water expert and security researcher. In a speech at […]
Read more →Failures in exploit discovery process are cold comfort for IoT fridge owners Security researchers have discovered a potential way to steal users’ Gmail credentials from a Samsung smart fridge. Pen Test Partners discovered the MiTM (man-in-the-middle) vulnerability that facilitated the exploit during an IoT hacking challenge at […]
Read more →Hive heating app allows customers to control their thermostat remotely But data on when heating is on and off is transmitted without encryption Which? suggests that burglars could work out when householders are likely to be away from home British Gas has started encrypting the data in […]
Read more →“Let me tell you a secret: when you hear that the machine is “smart”, what it actually means is that it’s exploitable. “Smart” means “exploitable”. “Smart TV” means an “exploitable TV”; “smart phone” means an “exploitable phone”, and so on. That’s what it means.” ~ Mikko Hypponen, […]
Read more →At this year’s Black Hat, a global information security event hosted in Amsterdam, two researchers will share their findings, pointing to vulnerabilities of the smart meter enabling hackers to order a power blackout. Javier Vazquez Vidal and Alberto Garcia Illera have ‘reverse engineered’ smart meters, identifying glaring […]
Read more →Last November, Felix Lindner came very close to shutting down the power supply of Ettlingen, a town of almost 40,000 people in the south of Germany. “We could have switched off everything: power, water, gas,” Lindner, head of Berlin-based Recurity Labs, an IT security company, said. Fortunately […]
Read more →Google’s Internet-of-Things wunderkind Nest is disabling a software feature called Nest Wave, citing safety concerns. In this letter to customers, Nest Labs CEO Tony Fadell writes: “During recent laboratory testing of the Nest Protect smoke alarm, we observed a unique combination of circumstances that caused us to […]
Read more →According to Halt MA Smart Meters, Massachusetts largest electric utility NSTAR has submitted scathing comments to the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) regarding its proposed mandate (to the utility, not the customer- there is no legal mandate for individual utility customers to accept “smart” meters on private […]
Read more →Our thanks to Red Ice Radio for inviting Mike to their show for a recent interview. If you have not come across the Red Ice podcast previously, it provides a enlightening alternative to corporate-sponsored media. Our discussion centers on the major privacy and health concerns with the […]
Read more →The following news item from the US reminds us that sexual predators exist in our reality. Some of them use the web to target and molest children. Connecting devices like video baby monitors to the web is, therefore, a terrible idea. The present plan for the ‘Smart […]
Read more →NSA PRISM: provides direct access to servers of Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo, Apple and others
[SSM] On Friday (07-6-13), the Guardian broke a story about a previously undisclosed, $20m/annum NSA program called PRISM – which provides the NSA with direct access to the servers of Google, Facebook, Apple and other US internet giants. The companies mentioned in the Guardian’s article strenuously denied […]
Read more →[Note how the deal was immediately “shelved” as soon as the Sunday Times’ light was shone on it. Data captured about the behaviour & habits of you and your family at home via a ‘Smart’ Meter would also be a very highly-prized asset – unless, of course, […]
Read more →[Ross Anderson is a Professor of Security Engineering at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory. He has persistently argued that, by their nature, large databases will never be free of abuse by breaches of security. He has said that if a large system is designed for ease […]
Read more →[SSM] There is nothing ‘smart’ about web-enabling our energy or utility supplies. This report helps to illustrate this inconvenient ‘Smart’ Grid truth. Our challenge to British Gas to let us perform a cyber-attack on one of its ‘Smart’ Meters live on TV remains unaccepted but still stands. […]
Read more →Computer chips will take control of home appliances when energy is low Sensors will detect spikes in demand for power and when grid struggles to meet it, will temporarily shut off appliances Can shut down supply without warning – or your consent Mail Online :: By Russell […]
Read more →Earlier today we posted a story about some odd shenanigans occurring within our Notice-serving engine at www.DontSmartMeter.me Within just two hours, coincidentally, our website experienced the biggest denial of service attack we have ever had to endure. Fortunately, our hosting provider deployed a team of expert engineers […]
Read more →If you think this is scary, just imagine what Dave could see in the ‘Smart’ Grid.
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