Both business and home computers hooked to the Internet have long been susceptible to hackers and viruses. Cell phones can even suffer this vulnerability. But the electrical grid, water and sewage systems?
An article in The Wall Street Journal reports, “Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials.” This apparently has been going on for some time without a lot of press.
What is really interesting is that the companies themselves did not discover the intrusions but were detected by U.S. intelligence agencies. The spies are from China, Russia and other countries but it is not clear whether or not they are government sponsored.
This could open up new questions in regard to embracing the smart grid concept. It would make you wonder who really is in control of your heating thermostat! We are happy to have our own miniature power plant meeting our energy demands without the intrusion of a faceless company (or worst, some hacker in another country) telling us we can have heat or lights but not both. Small and simple can make for a good nights rest.