New “smart” electricity meters, beginning to be rolled out across the country, may be rife with bugs that could pose security risks.

The new meters create a smart communication network between the user and the local power plant.

The software that powers some of the smart meters, however, is coming under fire from security experts for its lack of adequate protections against malicious hacks

The new meters supposedly require no authentication or encryption whenever running functions such as software updates

hackers could potentially control the workings of the grid, turning on and off power to users, or even reconfiguring the entire system’s settings.

Several companies have created their own smart meter products and it is as yet unclear which ones, if any, are affected by a lack of security.