Smart Grids and the Importance of Smart Security Choices
I got a flyer in my mail a couple of days ago, telling me that my local utility company would be coming out soon to install a smart meter on my house. Like most customers, I didn't think too much about it, until the new meter was installed today. That's when my curiosity got the better of me - even though I arrived home after dark, I had to go take a look at the shiny new toy on the side of my house. At first glance, it was somewhat disappointing. The rusty old box surrounding the meter (which has probably been there since the house was built in 1942) hadn't been replaced. Sure, the new meter had a nice little LED, and I even saw a kWh reading flash by...but it was still a meter, nothing too exciting. There was, however, a prominent display of the manufacturer's name - Elster - and a model number, R2SD (commonly known as REX2), off in the corner. "Hmmm," I thought. "I should go Google that. I wonder what protocol it speaks?" Reading through it, I immediately turned up some security red flags....
