
Testimony was provided last week at a Congressional hearing regarding “cybersecurity for power systems.” I plan to address some aspects of this hearing in a separate article, but a surprising admission was given by one of the expert witnesses that I will discuss here.
Mr. Bennett Gaines testified on behalf of FirstEnergy Service Company. He is a Senior Vice President and the Corporate Services and Chief Information Officer.
Although acknowledging some increased cybersecurity risks due to ‘smart’ meters, Mr. Gaines stated, “But I don’t see it as a huge threat.”
Then, however, Mr. Gaines made a surprising statement regarding the life expectancy of ‘smart’ meters as compared to existing traditional meters: