Major cyber-security holes have been found in technology made by some leading solar panel brands, raising the risk of targeted blackouts due to remote attacks on the energy grid.
While individual residential solar systems only produce limited power, their combined output can reach dozens of gigawatts – making their collective impact on grid reliability too significant to ignore.
In a new report, software company Forescout has identified vulnerabilities on three leading solar power system manufacturers: Sungrow, Growatt and SMA. The most affected components are solar monitors, which let owners track and manage the performance of solar panels in real time.
Other vulnerabilities were detected in cloud backends and sometimes solar inverters directly, which convert the DC electricity generated by solar panels into AC.
Forescout also said there were “growing concerns” over the dominance of foreign-made solar power components, which risks targeted state-led attacks.
China alone is responsible...