Energy firms fear major cyber attack on grid this year

Energy firms believe a major cyber attack against the grid will be launched in the next 12 months, but are not responding to the growing threat with better security measures, a survey shows.

A worldwide poll of critical infrastructure executives, conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC for the secuirty firm McAfee, also found the industry is creating soft new targets for criminals and hostile states, who could seriously disrupt electricity or gas supplies.

More 40 per cent said they expect such an attack will cause either supply outage of at least 24 hours, loss of life, or destroy a company in the next year.

Yet suppliers including EDF Energy and British Gas are pressing ahead with plans for millions of "smart meters" in homes, which will allow them to manage demand, monitor consumption and even cut off non-paying customers remotely, via the internet and potentially open to hijacking.

Although most survey respondents realised hackers could target the new technology, only two-thirds said they plan to protect it with special security measures.

Jim Woolsey, a former head of the CIA, said in the survey report: "90 to 95 per cent of the people working on the smart grid are not concerned about security and only see it as a last box they have to check."