Comments on: Who controls the off switch?

By: bob newheart

bob newheart — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 16:41:54 +0000

Revolution! Lets go green, lets go green, lets go green

By: app developer

app developer — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:21:58 +0000

I suspect the power companies will get their way on this – politicians have a history of folding to lobbying pressure.
Whichever way it goes it does highlight how technology is the new battleground between individuals and corporations… if we lose the electric battle today I fear we’ll be more likely to lose the net battle tomorrow.

By: John

John — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:18:43 +0000

The answer to this question, I fear is hackers! If this does get rolled out, and some government admin bod says in a press conference, “Of course it’s going to be secure!” every hacker is going to take up the challenge. Some bright spark discovers that you can do it via e-billing quite easily, then poof! Everyone in London W12 is sat in the dark! I get the feeling I’m preaching to the converted though….

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:23:02 +0000

I guess they will be using SCADA for this exercise. Don't worry there are some security papers produced by the government. But not everybody appears to read them.

By: John

John — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:01:58 +0000

> Who controls the off switch?

Better be an organisation independant of the electricity companies, so that when – let’s say you have a contract with a company like British Gas and are up to date with your payments – another company like Southern Electric would not cut your power supply because you did not pay (while denying everything for more than one year).
At least an independant organisation would answer the request by “of course they did not pay you, they are not one of your costumer”.
First hand experience…

By: THEY own the meat puppets but NOT THE SOUL, JESUS SETS YOU FREE!

THEY own the meat puppets but NOT THE SOUL, JESUS SETS YOU FREE! — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:37:27 +0000

they won’t be satisfied until they can stamp your head or hand with an RFID chip, they’ll call it something alluring so all the boneheads will clamour for it.

By: Mark Owen

Mark Owen — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:37:10 +0000

there are benefits and weaknesses in making a grid/metering smart. a smarter grid will be able to solve issues in a way but can be exploited equally.

As for the rather fancyful idea of upping a stores cash level if they lost power they shut for a day. they would loose more money as the vast majority of their transactions are now cash based. we had a substation fire in Nottingham city centre a while back which closed the town centre effectively, more money wasnt taken.

above all this though is if you want to do that, why wait? simply cut through the power line with a JCB or similar physical attack.

The only difference smart metering/grids allow is you can do it with less risk. Health and Safety at work there for criminals!

By: Ross Anderson

Ross Anderson — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:57:02 +0000

DECC has launched another consultation on smart meters along with a number of documents on energy policy. Responses on some issues are due by the end of September, and on others by the end of October.

By: Andy Loughran

Andy Loughran — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:06:58 +0000

Although I agree that your argument is valid from a freedom perspective, what is not clear is that already there is more than enough opportunity to disable the electric grid; what these meters will do is make it childs play.

By: Winfried Tilanus

Winfried Tilanus — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:44:22 +0000

The picture of a large-scale attack on the power-grid is of course horrifying, but don’t forget what opportunities controlling the power switch opens to more common kinds of crime: extortion and revenge become like playing a video game. Other nice tactic: look for a shop that stays open although you shut down their power. At the end of the day they will have lot more cash than normal and if you steal the book they have written the sales in too, nobody will know how much you stole.

And if you want to do a big time crime, like a big robbery: start by crippling the police and private security firms by turning of their mains and reverting them to emergency power. Then start shutting down power to buildings with elevators throughout the town, so all the forces are on the street, on the wrong place. Next do some shops and banks so the security people have to watch those objects (if that isn’t enough, keep switching the power on and of until their utility-power systems / alarm systems break). And now with everybody running around, wandering what is going on, do what you want to do…

Add a power switch and you can make crime much more ‘fun’…