On 23/08/2016 11:47, The Natural Philosopher wrote:



Let's say you stick a wifi equipped smart meter on your home network.

Lets say you fit one of the smart meters that the companies actually
supply, the ones that don't have WiFi and use the mobile network to send
data back.

You can tell they don't use WiFi because they will ask you what your
mobile reception is like but they don't ask if you have an internet
connection or even a phone line.

You can then safely disregard all the following.


It has the ability to read every single wifi packet sent or received on
that network and it has the ability to connect to any device anywhere on
the Internet.

Is that really what you want?

99% of your security comes from your router protecting you from attacks
from outside. Normally it will only let through responses to connections
*you* have made.

99% of your wifi security comes from a password that means only devices
you allow to see your internal network, can see it.

Now stick on a box that you allow access to your wifi, and which is
fully connected to the internet?

And probably one that 'upgrades ' itself over the internet?

How ling before it 'upgrades;' itself to a hacked bit of trojan horse
that scans your home network for all the bank details and logins and
email addresses in use.

Of course its possible to build a firewall between 'appliance net' and
'home net' but who has the ability to do that?