When it comes to Critical National Infrastructure, you might not think of your smart meter. However, in millions of properties, all around the world, these brightly-lit devices sit quietly monitoring, displaying, reporting, and in some cases controlling our energy use – and it turns out they’re a key component in energy security.
That’s because, with new technology such as Advanced Metering Information (AMI) smart meters are increasingly able to communicate with the network of providers, infrastructure and distribution operators in real-time – making them potentially vulnerable targets for attack or energy disruption on a national scale. Not only is the sensitive data they exchange under threat, but also the critical functions they enable.
It’s a real-world threat too. In April 2025, a national power outage shut-down essential services in Spain and Portugal for over ten hours. While it’s not thought to have been a specific cyber attack, it’s a good reminder of the consequences of a similar event – everything from infrastructure, communication, essential services and public health was affected, and as a result, grid stability is now a key focus for investment by Spanish and Portuguese authorities.
Robust security is a paramount concern, particularly in light of the quantum threat.
With the inevitability of quantum computing being able to break standard encryption in the next few years, legacy devices that carry outdated cryptographic defenses are most certainly at risk – both today and tomorrow. Smart meters typically have a 10-15 year lifespan, which means that millions of devices are likely be unprotected in the years to come.
What’s more, implementation is a serious challenge. Encryption, particularly PQC can be resource-intensive, and smart meters are designed to be cost-effective and energy efficient. Deploying PQC in a small area is a technical tightrope walk for the supply chain, and a compact solution that doesn’t exceed memory or power constraints is likely to be the answer.
That’s exactly why PQShield have designed and patented implementations for post-quantum cryptography. Our ultra-small solution, PQCryptoLib-Embedded is built for low-footprint use cases, and it carries the power of the latest NIST-standardized PQC algorithms. With crucial side-channel protection onboard, we believe upgrading legacy smart meters today, and building agility into the metering systems of tomorrow is a key part of the answer.
It’s a global effort. The EU expects to have 80% smart meter coverage by 2029 and North America is shifting towards 96%. In South and South East Asia, though the network relies on differing systems, the market is accelerating fast. In fact, the global market is thought to be heading towards $49b by the 2030s. That’s a lot of smart meters, quietly ticking over in a lot of homes and properties, and it’s clear that the technology will improve in efficiency and complexity. It’s going to be increasingly important to make sure that these critical endpoints are protected from attack as the quantum age begins.