City University Of London’s Professor David Stupples Comments On Ofgem's Energy Proposals

City University of London’s Professor David Stupples, a specialist in internet security, particularly organised cyber terrorism, said:

“We will be able to get a sense of the full impact of these electricity generation proposals following an integration of the internet of things (IoT) and smart metering technologies into UK homes. Smart metering, which forms part of the fast-developing IoT trend, is an ideal candidate for criminal cyber attacks. Professor Stupples has concerns that security safeguards will be a bolt-on afterthought which could present difficulties for the future.

He adds:

“Security protocols and procedures have not been built into the design of many of these products and tend to be seen as an afterthought. The overall control system for the proposed developments - permitting householders to generate their own power with solar panels, store it and sell it to the National Grid using an integrated digital technology – is a complex one which may use either fibre or radio-based technologies.”