❓ A parliamentary question addresses the capabilities and security of smart meters in Western Australia, with the Minister assuring that security measures are in place and compliant with standards.
AnsweredQoN 1013Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
WESTERN POWER — SMART METERS
I refer to the installation of smart meters across the south west interconnected system. (1) Do smart meters installed in Western Australia have the capability to be read or programmed remotely; and, if yes, is this capability used by Western Power to gather usage data for billing and to what extent? (2) What security features do these meters contain to prevent a third party remotely tampering with the meter, stealing the meter’s data, or disconnecting the meter from the grid? (3) Does the minister think that physical tamper protection, encrypted firmware and cryptographic keys should be mandatory in smart meters installed in WA? (4) Does Western Power, in cases of sudden and unexplained increases in apparent power usage, check to determine whether a properly functioning smart meter has been remotely accessed; and, if not, why not; and, will the minister commit to having such a security procedure put in place? Hon PETER COLLIER
I refer to the installation of smart meters across the south west interconnected system. (1) Do smart meters installed in Western Australia have the capability to be read or programmed remotely; and, if yes, is this capability used by Western Power to gather usage data for billing and to what extent? (2) What security features do these meters contain to prevent a third party remotely tampering with the meter, stealing the meter’s data, or disconnecting the meter from the grid? (3) Does the minister think that physical tamper protection, encrypted firmware and cryptographic keys should be mandatory in smart meters installed in WA? (4) Does Western Power, in cases of sudden and unexplained increases in apparent power usage, check to determine whether a properly functioning smart meter has been remotely accessed; and, if not, why not; and, will the minister commit to having such a security procedure put in place? Hon PETER COLLIER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(1) Do smart meters installed in Western Australia have the capability to be read or programmed remotely; and, if yes, is this capability used by Western Power to gather usage data for billing and to what extent? (2) What security features do these meters contain to prevent a third party remotely tampering with the meter, stealing the meter’s data, or disconnecting the meter from the grid? (3) Does the minister think that physical tamper protection, encrypted firmware and cryptographic keys should be mandatory in smart meters installed in WA? (4) Does Western Power, in cases of sudden and unexplained increases in apparent power usage, check to determine whether a properly functioning smart meter has been remotely accessed; and, if not, why not; and, will the minister commit to having such a security procedure put in place? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(2) What security features do these meters contain to prevent a third party remotely tampering with the meter, stealing the meter’s data, or disconnecting the meter from the grid? (3) Does the minister think that physical tamper protection, encrypted firmware and cryptographic keys should be mandatory in smart meters installed in WA? (4) Does Western Power, in cases of sudden and unexplained increases in apparent power usage, check to determine whether a properly functioning smart meter has been remotely accessed; and, if not, why not; and, will the minister commit to having such a security procedure put in place? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(3) Does the minister think that physical tamper protection, encrypted firmware and cryptographic keys should be mandatory in smart meters installed in WA? (4) Does Western Power, in cases of sudden and unexplained increases in apparent power usage, check to determine whether a properly functioning smart meter has been remotely accessed; and, if not, why not; and, will the minister commit to having such a security procedure put in place? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(4) Does Western Power, in cases of sudden and unexplained increases in apparent power usage, check to determine whether a properly functioning smart meter has been remotely accessed; and, if not, why not; and, will the minister commit to having such a security procedure put in place? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(1) Do smart meters installed in Western Australia have the capability to be read or programmed remotely; and, if yes, is this capability used by Western Power to gather usage data for billing and to what extent? (2) What security features do these meters contain to prevent a third party remotely tampering with the meter, stealing the meter’s data, or disconnecting the meter from the grid? (3) Does the minister think that physical tamper protection, encrypted firmware and cryptographic keys should be mandatory in smart meters installed in WA? (4) Does Western Power, in cases of sudden and unexplained increases in apparent power usage, check to determine whether a properly functioning smart meter has been remotely accessed; and, if not, why not; and, will the minister commit to having such a security procedure put in place? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(2) What security features do these meters contain to prevent a third party remotely tampering with the meter, stealing the meter’s data, or disconnecting the meter from the grid? (3) Does the minister think that physical tamper protection, encrypted firmware and cryptographic keys should be mandatory in smart meters installed in WA? (4) Does Western Power, in cases of sudden and unexplained increases in apparent power usage, check to determine whether a properly functioning smart meter has been remotely accessed; and, if not, why not; and, will the minister commit to having such a security procedure put in place? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(3) Does the minister think that physical tamper protection, encrypted firmware and cryptographic keys should be mandatory in smart meters installed in WA? (4) Does Western Power, in cases of sudden and unexplained increases in apparent power usage, check to determine whether a properly functioning smart meter has been remotely accessed; and, if not, why not; and, will the minister commit to having such a security procedure put in place? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(4) Does Western Power, in cases of sudden and unexplained increases in apparent power usage, check to determine whether a properly functioning smart meter has been remotely accessed; and, if not, why not; and, will the minister commit to having such a security procedure put in place? Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
Hon PETER COLLIER replied: I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question, and she could learn from it. (1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(1) Yes; all deployed smart meters are being remotely read for billing purposes. (2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(2) There are physical and cybersecurity measures in place that are compliant with national critical infrastructure standards. Further, these measures are compliant also with USA Department of Homeland Security standards. The product was developed in the USA and has been deployed in Victoria, Australia, California, Florida, and a number of other locations within the USA. (3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(3) These are features that are already part of the current smart meters. (4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
(4) Because of the measures outlined in (2), Western Power has the ability to detect any unauthorised access to a meter, which would be alarmed and addressed before any meter reading data would need to be examined.
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