SECURITY researchers from Princeton University argue that hacked IoT devices could bring down an entire power grid.
The Princeton researchers say a botnet encompassing thousands of connected and hacked power-hungry home appliances, like air conditioners and water heaters, could take down the power grid simply by overwhelming it.
Their simulations showed that a power network serving a population roughly the size of California would suffer if there was a 1 per cent bump in demand created by hacked high-energy demand devices.
“We hope that our work raises awareness of the significance of these attacks to grid operators, smart appliance manufacturers, and systems security experts in order to make the power grid (and other interdependent networks) more secure against cyberattacks,” said the researchers in their report.
“This is especially critical in the near future when more smart appliances with the ability to connect to the Internet are going to be manufactured.”
#securityelectronicsandnetworks #IoT #homeautomation #smarthomes
