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SPECIAL REPORT

Smart city... internal networks could be at risk of attack

Smart cities must protect utilities from cyber-attacks

DUBAI, October 13, 2014

Smart cities must design utilities systems with custom defence solutions that protect smart meters and smart grids from cyber-attacks such as home tampering and utilities hacking, a report said.

While wearable personal technology may be the most “public” face of the Internet of Everything, the most widespread use of it may be in smart meters, which collect consumption data for remote reporting to utility providers, enhancing efficiency, reliability, costs, and sustainability of their services, said Trend Micro Incorporated, a global cloud security leader, in a new report.


Smart meters are already in widespread use in some countries, and it is easy to see how in the next few years they will become even more widespread. Despite industry groups and protocols promoting smart meter technology, there are a wide variety of technical standards used in smart meters.

Already niche devices – such as home automation equipment and Internet routers – have proven to have serious security risks. Smart meters and smart grids have not yet been fully tested and vetted for potential security risks; and Trend Micro presents potential scenarios if these devices have flaws.

Smart meter attack scenarios

Perhaps the most obvious risk is simple: meter tampering. If a smart meter can be hacked, inaccurate information can be sent back to the utility, allowing an attacker to adjust the reading and resulting in an inflated or lowered bill.

Crime gangs may well find uses for smart meters too. Power savings are frequently promoted as a benefit of smart meter, as power consumption is also a good way of checking if someone is in a home or not. If the smart meter can be controlled remotely, criminals have an excellent way to carry out extortion.

The connectivity of the smart meters can also be a security risk, including the cellular network that provides the connection to the main servers of their utility, and the same Internet connection as the home. If somebody was able to hack the smart meter from the outside, then that attacker would have access to the house’s internal network. This would put a persons’ own internal network at risk of attack; it would be as dangerous as letting anyone connect to the home network.

Smart grid attack scenarios

Smart grids pertain to an electric grid with digital information/communication capabilities for recording information on both consumers and suppliers. An attack on a smart grid affects many more users than an attack on an individual meter. The potential for damage is proportionately much more significant.

Not only can the smart meters be attacked, but the servers at the utility that controls the smart meters can also serve as an attack vector. However, these servers can also be defended with tools used to defend against targeted attacks.

Perhaps the most obvious smart grid attack scenario would be: extortion. An attacker would take control of the smart grid in order to disrupt the provided services in order to get money out of the local utility company or government.

Alternately, the chaos itself may be the goal, either for political reasons or to distract local law enforcement from other crimes going on at the same time. Other slightly more subtle attacks against the smart grid would be a denial of service attack, or meter tampering. – TradeArabia News Service




Tags: Trend Micro | Hacking | Smart Cities | cyber attacks |

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