The researchers with the Seattle security consultancy IOActive have discovered quite a few flaws in the up-and-coming network of intelligent power switches - the Smart Grid - after conducting a year-long test to determine security vulnerabilities.

The confirmed theoretical vulnerabilities were identified by an independent security consultant, Travis Goodspeed who, along with his team, researched the vulnerabilities in the Texas Instruments MSP430 chip used by some Smart Grid devices.

According to the IOActive CEO, Joshua Pennell, the flaws in the Smart Grid make the network easily accessible by hackers, who can cut power to Smart Grid devices that make use of a particular feature called "remote disconnect."

The Smart Grid devices are basically small computers, which are connected to the power grid, that give better electricity control to customers and power companies. At present, two million Smart Grid devices have been installed and almost 17 million will come up in next few years.

The sturdiness of US power networks has, in fact, been a burning issue after the 2003 technical malfunction, which resulted in a massive power failure in the eastern US and Canada, rankling nearly 55 million people.

Last year too, the hackers ogling the power systems had hacked into computer systems through the Internet, and managed to cut power to some cities in countries other than the US.