Cyber expert speak out on SMART GRID technology: Massive vulnerability, who’s accountable?

The following is a transcript from a selection section of the 2012 documentary film that still offers good insight: “Take Back Your Power” (www.ThePowerFilm.org)

Narrator: Governments and power corporations around the globe, through an incessant drive to ‘modernize the power grid,’ have directly created a situation where our entire civilization’s energy source is now in danger of being taken down. With hundreds of smart grid projects all being installed simultaneously around the world, we’re seeing a globally orchestrated move to quietly merge the entire power grid with the vulnerabilities of the internet. While described by some as insane, it is at the very least completely irresponsible, as it puts everyone at risk by totally opening the door to hacking. Already, in both simulated and actual hacking attacks, smart meters, power generators, and entire utilities on the smart grid have been demonstrated defenseless to hackers. In any case, leading cyber security experts agree that the problem is now massive. From Scientific American to MIT Technology Review, CNN and many other publications, we’re hearing how our very basis of life support, the energy that powers our civilization, is now subject to being taken down by hacking. Former CIA Director James Woolsey:

James Woolsey: What they’re doing now, they’re constructing what they call a smart grid. And they’re going to make it easier for you and me to call our homes on our cell phone and turn down our air conditioning on a hot afternoon if we’re not there. Great. But that may well mean that a hacker in Shanghai with his cell phone can do the same thing or worse. And a so-called smart grid that is as vulnerable as what we’ve got is not smart at all. It’s a really, really stupid grid.

Narrator: Why and how has this happened? Why have governments and their corporate partners put our entire civilization at risk in this way in the name of efficiency, even though there has been no demonstrated net energy savings? And then, after creating this problem, is it just coincidence that the media is now burning into our minds how it’s the hacking groups that are the ones to be feared? That they are the cause of the problem? For now, let’s return our attention to a significant effect of this problem- the vulnerability of the entire power grid. In the following, cyber-expert David Chalk issues what is perhaps the strongest statement to date on the very real potential for a total and permanent power outage, if this smart grid implementation is allowed to continue. We must keep in mind that governments and power companies working together have created this problem, and it’s up to the people to become aware, to share this knowledge and to end this agenda.

David Chalk: I am outrightly asking the media, CNN, national television networks, magazines, Bloomberg, you name it, whoever you are, stand up and take notice of this moment in time when this nation is in crisis. The front door is open and there’s no lock to be had. I’ll state right now that 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 it to be shut down, damaged, or completely annihilated. We can’t take a massive outage all at once. When we say it goes down, we’re talking about generators burning out, we’re talking about coal plants being damaged, we’re talking about destruction of equipment. This isn’t just a matter of electrons going around and shutting off the moving data. Physical equipment can be damaged. You just need to look on Google to see it. Watch some of the videos of cyber attacks on generators and other devices. You’ll see they’re actually damaged. Multi-million dollar machines are hacked into. We look at corporations, we look at the very companies like Semantic that are there to protect us having been hacked, and their code is in the public domain. Let us take a moment to think about what we are really doing. One of the most amazing things that has happened to mankind in the last hundred years is the internet. It’s given us possibility beyond our wildest imagination. But we also know the vulnerabilities that exist inside of it. And then we have the backbone, the energy, what powers our nation- the power grid. Those two are coming together, and it’s the smart meter on your home or our business that is allowing that connectivity to start. The computer companies that are involved, the manufacturers that are involved, bring forward a technology and I will show you that it’s penetrable. I’ll do it on national TV, I’ll do it anywhere. But I can guarantee you 100 percent, there is nothing out there today, nothing, that can’t be penetrated. We need safety and security, and today that does not exist in the smart grid.

Narrator: People everywhere are taking notice of this global issue of forced smart meters, and they’re speaking up. Not only can the entire power grid be taken down, but virtually everywhere smart meters are installed, citizens are the ones paying the price. We are paying the price financially with increasing costs, we’re giving up what remaining privacy we have, many are experiencing symptoms of ill health or decreased vitality from the radiation, there have been over 900 reports of fires from smart meters, and perhaps the biggest of all- we’re handing over all democratic rights to corporately-run governments. Citizens and civil rights groups everywhere are encouraged to speak up and inform their friends and families and colleagues about the situation. If you still have an analog meter, you have the right to inform your power company of your refusal. If you already have a smart meter, you have the right to demand to have it removed and replaced. Analog meters are currently available from several sources. Already, we’re seeing smart meter opt-out options being offered in many regions, but when it’s the entire power grid that’s been placed at risk, opting out is not enough. We need to halt all smart grid installations and to hold accountable the governments and corporations who created the situation. A leading solar power expert who will be featured in our upcoming film stated, ‘with only the current level of solar technology, the entire planet’s energy resources can be powered by solar photo-voltaic panels using a land area only the size of Utah.’ Imagine everyone enjoying a first world lifestyle while totally removing fuel emissions and powering the technology to recycle all waste to its elemental components. With technology such as solar-powered hydrogen cells, no meter grid would be required at all. A better world truly awaits if we can release the ingrained idea of scarcity and understand that the exploitation of resources is no longer necessary. Today, it is the year 2012 and the world is in crisis. It’s becoming clearly evident that a change in course is required. We no longer have the luxury to allow things to proceed unchecked. The safety and freedom of human life demands that we become aware and active in shaping our future. This is the issue, and now is the time to come together, and to spread encouragement that collectively, we can take back our power.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c1sadZCO60