The Smart Meter And How It Is Being Hacked by cybelink(m): 4:38pm On Nov 16, 2012 |
A smart meter, according to regulatory authorities, is an advanced meter (usually an electric meter) that records the consumption of electric energy in intervals of an hour or less and communicates that information at least daily back to the utility for monitoring and billing purpose. Smart meters are widely used in most nations of the world that make use of electricity as a source of power. Users of electricity are billed with this smart meter based on their consumption. As a resident of Ibadan, Nigeria, I’ve grown accustomed to the idea of knowing that the Power holding Company of Nigeria (formerly National Electric Power Authority) distributes a monthly bill of your total consumption each month. For a house rented by four People, One may not be a stay-lite at home, She/he may be a business type, on returning back home, She/he might have been away for 3 weeks on a business trip, this person has not been consuming electricity for weeks but yet is being given a high bill, this is due to the frequent and the lavish usage of the electric power by his/her neighbors, this is simply done by the usage of freezers, microwave ovens, Pressing irons, electric cookers, Electric kettles, Washing machines, Computer etc., these electronics tend to consume more electric power. The Introduction of Smart Meters in Nigeria Few years back, after the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) was sold by the Federal Government of Nigeria to a private electricity company which is Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). After the Power Holding Company of Nigeria acquired the National Electric Power Authority, it was then given its name “PHCN” which still exists till today. Few years after the Power Holding Company of Nigeria acquired the National Electric Power Authority, it introduced the Smart Meter, in the days of NEPA, the analogue meter was being used by the consumers of electricity. The Power Holding Company of Nigeria distributed the newly introduced smart meter across the country, but due to the large population of Nigerian electric power consumers, the smart meter didn’t circulate, most people didn’t have access to it. But these days, if you need to get a smart meter in Nigeria, some say You have to get it with money while some others say it’s free. Benefits of the Smart Meter • No more cutting of electric cables wires • No cheating (You pay for what You use) • No more reconnection fee • You — Your meter whenever You are in need of power • No one will penalize You for not buying a card Hacking the Smart Meter The Smart meters themselves are not impregnable fortresses (The meters are subjected to being hacked). Smart meters are hacked in many countries of the world. The smart meter was hacked in Puerto Rico. Another recent example of smart meter hacking was demonstrated by Mike Davis, a security consultant, He reversed-engineered a meter that was bought on E-bay and installed a computer program that replicated itself across the wireless network and blocked the utility company as it went. The perpetrators of this act were said to have hacked into the smart meter using an optical converter device connected to a laptop, allowing smart meters to connect with the computer. The hackers were able to change the settings for recording power consumption using software available on the internet after making a connection. This method does not require the removal or disassembly of the smart meter. There are also various ways by which a smart meter can be fooled. The introduction of the smart meter was basically to curb electricity theft still there are some gurus that hack into it. The following are some suggestions made by professionals on how to fool smart meters. 1. Attacking the smart meter’s memory: A needle is inserted to intercept the electrical signal in the memory chip. 2. Using a Digital Radio: A hacker who has cracked the meter’s programming can use security codes from the software in the chip to get on the network and issue commands. 3. Spread malware to the network: David baker, a director of services for IO Active, a research company, designed a virus that can replicate itself in other meters and enable a hacker to shutdown the system remotely. Davies showed that if his virus were to be released in a location where all the houses were fitted with the same brand of meter, it could spread to 15,000 homes in one day. 4. Accessing the Meter: This method can be done through a wireless device. Using a software radio programmed to mimic a variety of communication devices; the hacker can listen in on wireless communication in the network and guess overtime how to communicate with the meter. 5. Revering and Engineering the smart meter: It is a cheap method, but the process will require a good knowledge of integrated circuits. Note: The key point of discussing how to fool the smart meter. The intention of writing this article is basically to curb electricity theft. Author: Adefisoye Ifedamola For: www.234electricity.com ©2012 1 Like 1 Share |
Re: The Smart Meter And How It Is Being Hacked by Nobody: 4:52pm On Dec 02, 2014 |
cybelink: A smart meter, according to regulatory authorities, is an advanced meter (usually an electric meter) that records the consumption of electric energy in intervals of an hour or less and communicates that information at least daily back to the utility for monitoring and billing purpose. Smart meters are widely used in most nations of the world that make use of electricity as a source of power. Users of electricity are billed with this smart meter based on their consumption. As a resident of Ibadan, Nigeria, I’ve grown accustomed to the idea of knowing that the Power holding Company of Nigeria (formerly National Electric Power Authority) distributes a monthly bill of your total consumption each month. For a house rented by four People, One may not be a stay-lite at home, She/he may be a business type, on returning back home, She/he might have been away for 3 weeks on a business trip, this person has not been consuming electricity for weeks but yet is being given a high bill, this is due to the frequent and the lavish usage of the electric power by his/her neighbors, this is simply done by the usage of freezers, microwave ovens, Pressing irons, electric cookers, Electric kettles, Washing machines, Computer etc., these electronics tend to consume more electric power. The Introduction of Smart Meters in Nigeria Few years back, after the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) was sold by the Federal Government of Nigeria to a private electricity company which is Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). After the Power Holding Company of Nigeria acquired the National Electric Power Authority, it was then given its name “PHCN” which still exists till today. Few years after the Power Holding Company of Nigeria acquired the National Electric Power Authority, it introduced the Smart Meter, in the days of NEPA, the analogue meter was being used by the consumers of electricity. The Power Holding Company of Nigeria distributed the newly introduced smart meter across the country, but due to the large population of Nigerian electric power consumers, the smart meter didn’t circulate, most people didn’t have access to it. But these days, if you need to get a smart meter in Nigeria, some say You have to get it with money while some others say it’s free. Benefits of the Smart Meter • No more cutting of electric cables wires • No cheating (You pay for what You use) • No more reconnection fee • You — Your meter whenever You are in need of power • No one will penalize You for not buying a card Hacking the Smart Meter The Smart meters themselves are not impregnable fortresses (The meters are subjected to being hacked). Smart meters are hacked in many countries of the world. The smart meter was hacked in Puerto Rico. Another recent example of smart meter hacking was demonstrated by Mike Davis, a security consultant, He reversed-engineered a meter that was bought on E-bay and installed a computer program that replicated itself across the wireless network and blocked the utility company as it went. The perpetrators of this act were said to have hacked into the smart meter using an optical converter device connected to a laptop, allowing smart meters to connect with the computer. The hackers were able to change the settings for recording power consumption using software available on the internet after making a connection. This method does not require the removal or disassembly of the smart meter. There are also various ways by which a smart meter can be fooled. The introduction of the smart meter was basically to curb electricity theft still there are some gurus that hack into it. The following are some suggestions made by professionals on how to fool smart meters. 1. Attacking the smart meter’s memory: A needle is inserted to intercept the electrical signal in the memory chip. 2. Using a Digital Radio: A hacker who has cracked the meter’s programming can use security codes from the software in the chip to get on the network and issue commands. 3. Spread malware to the network: David baker, a director of services for IO Active, a research company, designed a virus that can replicate itself in other meters and enable a hacker to shutdown the system remotely. Davies showed that if his virus were to be released in a location where all the houses were fitted with the same brand of meter, it could spread to 15,000 homes in one day. 4. Accessing the Meter: This method can be done through a wireless device. Using a software radio programmed to mimic a variety of communication devices; the hacker can listen in on wireless communication in the network and guess overtime how to communicate with the meter. 5. Revering and Engineering the smart meter: It is a cheap method, but the process will require a good knowledge of integrated circuits. Note: The key point of discussing how to fool the smart meter. The intention of writing this article is basically to curb electricity theft. Author: Adefisoye Ifedamola For: www.234electricity.com ©2012 here is. a. tutors http:///vobW8Z |
Re: The Smart Meter And How It Is Being Hacked by Raymondluv(m): 8:36am On Aug 04, 2015 |
cybelink: A smart meter, according to regulatory authorities, is an advanced meter (usually an electric meter) that records the consumption of electric energy in intervals of an hour or less and communicates that information at least daily back to the utility for monitoring and billing purpose. Smart meters are widely used in most nations of the world that make use of electricity as a source of power. Users of electricity are billed with this smart meter based on their consumption. As a resident of Ibadan, Nigeria, I’ve grown accustomed to the idea of knowing that the Power holding Company of Nigeria (formerly National Electric Power Authority) distributes a monthly bill of your total consumption each month. For a house rented by four People, One may not be a stay-lite at home, She/he may be a business type, on returning back home, She/he might have been away for 3 weeks on a business trip, this person has not been consuming electricity for weeks but yet is being given a high bill, this is due to the frequent and the lavish usage of the electric power by his/her neighbors, this is simply done by the usage of freezers, microwave ovens, Pressing irons, electric cookers, Electric kettles, Washing machines, Computer etc., these electronics tend to consume more electric power. The Introduction of Smart Meters in Nigeria Few years back, after the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) was sold by the Federal Government of Nigeria to a private electricity company which is Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). After the Power Holding Company of Nigeria acquired the National Electric Power Authority, it was then given its name “PHCN” which still exists till today. Few years after the Power Holding Company of Nigeria acquired the National Electric Power Authority, it introduced the Smart Meter, in the days of NEPA, the analogue meter was being used by the consumers of electricity. The Power Holding Company of Nigeria distributed the newly introduced smart meter across the country, but due to the large population of Nigerian electric power consumers, the smart meter didn’t circulate, most people didn’t have access to it. But these days, if you need to get a smart meter in Nigeria, some say You have to get it with money while some others say it’s free. Benefits of the Smart Meter • No more cutting of electric cables wires • No cheating (You pay for what You use) • No more reconnection fee • You — Your meter whenever You are in need of power • No one will penalize You for not buying a card Hacking the Smart Meter The Smart meters themselves are not impregnable fortresses (The meters are subjected to being hacked). Smart meters are hacked in many countries of the world. The smart meter was hacked in Puerto Rico. Another recent example of smart meter hacking was demonstrated by Mike Davis, a security consultant, He reversed-engineered a meter that was bought on E-bay and installed a computer program that replicated itself across the wireless network and blocked the utility company as it went. The perpetrators of this act were said to have hacked into the smart meter using an optical converter device connected to a laptop, allowing smart meters to connect with the computer. The hackers were able to change the settings for recording power consumption using software available on the internet after making a connection. This method does not require the removal or disassembly of the smart meter. There are also various ways by which a smart meter can be fooled. The introduction of the smart meter was basically to curb electricity theft still there are some gurus that hack into it. The following are some suggestions made by professionals on how to fool smart meters. 1. Attacking the smart meter’s memory: A needle is inserted to intercept the electrical signal in the memory chip. 2. Using a Digital Radio: A hacker who has cracked the meter’s programming can use security codes from the software in the chip to get on the network and issue commands. 3. Spread malware to the network: David baker, a director of services for IO Active, a research company, designed a virus that can replicate itself in other meters and enable a hacker to shutdown the system remotely. Davies showed that if his virus were to be released in a location where all the houses were fitted with the same brand of meter, it could spread to 15,000 homes in one day. 4. Accessing the Meter: This method can be done through a wireless device. Using a software radio programmed to mimic a variety of communication devices; the hacker can listen in on wireless communication in the network and guess overtime how to communicate with the meter. 5. Revering and Engineering the smart meter: It is a cheap method, but the process will require a good knowledge of integrated circuits. Note: The key point of discussing how to fool the smart meter. The intention of writing this article is basically to curb electricity theft. Author: Adefisoye Ifedamola For: www.234electricity.com ©2012 pls i want to knw hw to bypass a prepaid meter |
Re: The Smart Meter And How It Is Being Hacked by Dekatron(m): 5:43pm On Aug 04, 2015 |