Smart Grid offers target-rich opportunities for hackers
capable of shutting equipment down.
Naone writes that the security of the smart grid was a major topic at Black Hat. Jonathan Pollet, founder and principal consultant at Red Tiger Security, a firm that analyzes the security of critical infrastructure, says the smart grid could be vulnerable to a range of attacks. Customers might simply figure out, for example, how to lower their electricity bills by manipulating how much energy their meters say they are using. Naone quotes Pollet to say that large-scale attacks may also be possible, and that a serious vulnerability might make it possible to shut down the power supply to an entire city.
Smart-grid devices also connect back to the older control equipment — known as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems — used at utility companies. “SCADA systems are far less secure than enterprise IT systems,” Pollet says. He explains that they are often connected to the Internet, but do not have security features such as firewalls and antivirus protection (see “Malicious virus targets SCADA systems,” 20 July 2010 HSNW).
Nathan Keltner, a consultant on FishNet Security’s assessment team, has been analyzing smart-grid technology for clients. He said the smart grid amounts to “old-school SCADA that’s been bolted into some sort of a newer technology.”
It may be particularly hard to protect the smart grid because would-be attackers will have physical access to components connected to the network. Pollet says that all it takes is for one determined attacker to find a way in — information about how to hack a device is then quickly shared online. “Those who have the intent and motivation can do this stuff,” he told Naone.
Shawn Moyer, who practices network security for Agura Digital Security, says he is concerned that utilities do not have expertise in network security. For example, he says, many advertise that they offer encryption in their smart-grid products, but on further inspection, there are problems with how that encryption is implemented.
Moyer and Keltner revealed a proof-of-concept smart-grid attack at Black Hat. They used a customizable piece of radio equipment and some freely available software to find smart meters on a network and circumvent the encryption used to protect them. If an attacker were to do the same, they say, it would be possible to issue commands that could misreport data to the utility or shut off power to some users.
Moyer notes that utilities have battled meddling for a long time, but the smart grid adds another dimension to the problem. “Theft of service isn’t new, tampering isn’t new — only the scale of what’s possible,” he says.
