In the future, will bad guys be able to control someone's house, car or even internal medical devices remotely with a smartphone? Charles C. Mann explains one specific concern – smart meters:
Computer-security researchers are focusing attention on smart meters in part because utilities have been installing them by the millions. (The Obama stimulus bill provided $4.5 billion for "smart grid" projects; the European Union has mandated a switch-over to smart meters by 2022.)
Why they are targets:
Because smart meters register every tiny up and down in energy use, they are, in effect, monitoring every activity in the home. … Like the computer on my home-office desk, the smart-meter computer in my basement is vulnerable to viruses, worms, and other Internet perils.
As long ago as 2009, Mike Davis of IOActive was able to infect smart meters with virus-like code. The infected meters could then spread the malware to other, nearby meters. In theory, smart-meter viruses could black out entire neighborhoods at a stroke. They could also ripple back and infect the central controls at utility companies. Because those utility networks are usually decades old, they often lack basic security features, such as firewalls and anti-virus protection. "If I’m a bad guy, I’ll wait till there’s a major snowstorm or heat wave," said McClure. "Then kill the heat or A/C.” Under such circumstances, he observed, “the elderly die very easily."
The Dish 