Originally published May 3 2012
Hacking expert David Chalk says 100 percent certainty of catastrophic failure of smart energy grid within three years
by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
(NaturalNews) For at least the past five years, the federal government has been pushing utility companies across America to "upgrade" their infrastructures to support "smart grid" technology that allows two-way communication with, and centralized control of, the energy grid through an internet-based network. But cyber expert David Chalk says that a complete and catastrophic failure of the entire smart energy grid is definitely going to occur within the next three years, and that few are aware of this.
Traditionally, the electric meters attached to structures, the wired and underground poles that deliver electricity to them, and the plants where electricity are generated have all been operated and maintained independently by field workers who gather data in a one-way system of communication. In other words, when a problem occurs with an electric meter or a pole in the traditional system, an expert has to go out and assess the problem, as there is no automated way for the system itself to send feedback.
For this reason and others, many have hailed smart grid technology as the solution, and as the way to bring the electric grid into the 21st century. But according to Chalk and many other experts in the field, smart grid technology is highly vulnerable to cyber attacks, and the technology is so digitally centralized that hackers are sure to "crack the code," so to speak, and eventually bring down the system.
"We're in a state of crisis," says Chalk. "The front door is open and there is no lock to be had. There is not a power meter or device on the grid that is protected from hacking -- if not already infected -- with some sort of trojan horse that can cause the grid to be shut down or completely annihilated."
Solar storms, digital warfare threaten to bring down the smart grid
Smart grid technology is also vulnerable to failure from solar storms and digital warfare, both of which could quickly take down the entire system in an instant, leaving millions, and potentially billions, of people in the dark without power. Smart grid technology also comes with its own unique health and privacy risks that are being ignored by its proponents as well.
"Unless we wake up and realize what we're doing, there is 100 percent certainty of total catastrophic failure of the entire power infrastructure within three years," adds Chalk. "This could actually be worse than a nuclear war, because it would happen everywhere. How governments and utilities are blindly merging the power grid with the Internet, and effectively without any protection, is insanity at its finest."
You can watch a full interview with David Chalk about smart grid technology at: http://thepowerfilm.org/
Sources for this article include:
http://www.marketwatch.com
http://www.smartgridnews.com
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