Cyber-Attack on Solar Panels Could Shut Down Power Grids via Domino Effect

[frogboy]

New research released on Friday, August 4, reveals the existence of multiple vulnerabilities in the products of the leading provider of photovoltaic panels, which if exploited in mass by a determined attacker could lead to a shutdown of one or more countries' power grids because of a domino effect.

The research — entitled Horus Scenario and authored by Dutch security engineer Willem Westerhof — has identified 21 vulnerabilities in the photovoltaic panels sold by SMA. Of these, 14 flaws received CVE identifiers.

Westerhof says he privately disclosed the flaws to SMA in December 2016. In January 2017, Westerhof says he also disclosed theoretical and practical details about an attack on photovoltaic inverters and its repercussions to specific governmental institutes and power grid regulators.

Cyber-attack can cause a power grid domino effect
The researcher claims that the SMA flaws allow an attacker to damage the normal functioning of a solar power plant. Due to the way power grids are built, any disturbance, small or large, will have a long-lasting and quick-spreading impact.

All over the world countries have interconnected their power grids so that in the case of an emergency they can draw power from each other, depending on what country has a surplus of produced energy.

Full Article. Cyber-Attack on Solar Panels Could Shut Down Power Grids via Domino Effect

 

[ispx]

live free or die hard / die hard 4

 

[In2an3_PpG]

Well hopefully they can fix those vulnerabilities before their exploited by someone with malicious intent.

 

[Weebarra]

Seems like everything nowadays is susceptible to attack

 

[SHvFl]

Solar power plants have kill switches in case the power lines load needs to be adjusted and there is enough power to be made without them to support the country with limits set by each country. Even if you do this, worse case scenario will be a power loss at some areas for 1 hour until the steam engines go at full force. Country will not be at loss, energy companies will not be at loss and the only one losing will be the photovoltaic plant owner which will have to fix this issue. This is the least of the worries for a hack at the power grid.