Interesting convergence of different underestimated issues - insider attacks (frequently ignored) and smart meters (largely ignored). [Thanks to Jeremy Epstein for spotting this one. PGN] FBI Concerned About Smart Meter Hacking, 9 Apr 2012 According to an FBI cyber bulletin, an unnamed utility company in Puerto Rico was the target of attacks against smart meters, costing the company hundreds of millions of dollars. This appears to be the first report of such attacks and the FBI expects that the occurrence of similar attacks will rise as the smart grid technology is more widely adopted. The FBI believes that former employees of the meter manufacturer reprogrammed meters for between US $300 and US $3,000 so that the associated buildings appeared to be consuming less power than they actually used. Most meters are read remotely, making fraud detection difficult. The alterations require physical access. http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/04/fbi-smart-meter-hacks-likely-to-spread/ ------------------------------