FBI frets about dumb security in smart meters

*Finally* someone actually starts giving a s**t.

Not of course about the privacy implications or the possible subversion of the remote kill switch capability.

No.

That despite *all* their intelligence they still don't stop the power company being ripped off.

Any one wondering how different the ones that are being planned for the UK will be?

Seems again

that the design brief was "make em as cheap as we can to get the contract" customer privacy/security will, as always, take a second seat to profits.

Ergo: they deserve every lost £/$ they suffer.

Almost Completely a Virtual Meter

I 'acquired' one of these newer 'smartmeters' not so long ago and took it apart, carefully, It was returned but in less than pristine condition.

Almost all the metering is electronic. Sensing (consumption) can be achieved by acoustic-optical doppler, magnetic, mass-thermal, wheel-turbine / pelton, ultrasonic, etc. They have all the angles and substances covered.

The LCD display was chip on glass, driven serially, with the microcontroller linking everything together including RF communications, etc. There was a menu that includes encryption.

Seemingly, the display inviolability is big with regulators, the old mechanical readers failed, but they usually retained the data even when the mechanical damage was severe, This isn't the case with these 'virtual' meters which places the consumer at the mercy of the utility and who trusts a utility?

Technically remarkable, But for the consumer the mechanical meter is best.

Magnet, hmmm?

I was gonna say why bother hacking a smart meter when it would be so easy to tap into the juice on the far side of the meter directly, but if it's really as easy as bringing a large magnet nearby, maybe the FBI is on to something.