A study at the University of South Carolina (USC) has found that smart meters transmit unencrypted information that could put home owners’ privacy at risk, IDG News Service reports. Researchers say the right software could help determine whether a resident is at home at any particular time. These particular smart meters are currently installed at one-third of U.S. homes and businesses. Some transmit meter readings upon request, while others transmit readings every 30 seconds. Researchers at USC used software to capture smart meter data from up to 300 meters away, which they then processed and reverse-engineered to find that the data was sent in plain text and contained meters’ identification numbers.
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