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According to a report, system vulnerabilities, including residential ones, could lead to widespread grid instability. By Michael Puttré Solar photovoltaic energy is now an essential element of grid infrastructure worldwide. As the technology has moved from early residential users to the mainstream of utility generation resources, solar energys profile has increased as a target for those who would damage or exploit electrical grids for criminal, political, or opportunistic reasons. A recent report from Forescout Research-Vedere Labs, a subsidiary of San Jose, California-based Forescout Technologies, indicates that networked elements of solar power installations, primarily the inverter and its monitoring and management systems, can be a vehicle for unauthorized access. Daniel dos Santos, senior director and head of security research at Forescout, says residential and even commercial solar infrastructure may not have the level of cybersecurity measures that justify their vulnerability. First of all, everyone should keep in mind that inverters are part of critical infrastructure, dos Santos said. Even if theyre in peoples homes and not in large solar parks, the security requirements should be higher than those of the general-purpose Internet of Things. An IP camera isnt the same as a smart light or something like that. Its something thats directly connected to the grid. According to the research underlying the Forescout report, documented cyberattack incidents on solar energy infrastructure illustrate how weak security is enabling real-world disruption of grid services. Examples cited include a denial-of-service attack in March 2019 that caused sPower to lose visibility into 500 MW of wind and solar generation across the United States; the hacking of monitoring systems in Japan in May 2024; the compromise of similar devices by a suspected China-based hacking group throughout 2024; and an attack on Lithuanian solar facilities operated by Ignitis Group in September 2024 by suspected pro-Russian hackers. Although Forescouts research identified potentially vulnerable software components and systems, it noted that hackers have not yet caused significant disruption to solar energy services or grid instability. However, given that natural phenomena and accidents have caused such disruptions, it appears likely that cyberattacks could cause them for a variety of purposes, ranging from ransomware to asymmetric warfare. One aspect of vulnerability is that any solar installation, from residential to utility-scale, can provide hackers with access to the grid, where they could unleash a range of damaging scenarios. The Forescout report highlights some specific products by vendor where it has found such vulnerabilities and potential solutions for closing these openings. According to dos Santos, the impact of a network attack depends on the generation capacity the attackers can control, the speed with which they take control, and the networks surge capacity. There have been other studies that have modeled the impact on the grid based on what are called load engine attacks, increasing demand or decreasing generation on a large scale through botnets, he said. Many of them are actually academic papers, and we cite them in our new report. Computer users have long known that hackers are one of the reasons we cant have nice things without taking precautions. Solar energy providers and grid operators are also coming to this conclusion. |
