Chinese “Kill Switches” Found in US Solar Equipment Raise Security Concerns

Concerns about Western power grids are rising due to the presence of "kill switches" in American solar gear built in China.

Researchers discovered that some Chinese-made inverters in US solar plants carried “kill switches,” which is a big concern regarding the safety of the West’s electric grid. With these illegitimate cellular radios, attackers could reboot the country’s renewable energy systems and lead to huge blackouts in the US, UK and Europe.

American energy regulators have changed their thinking on the dangers related to these communication devices in solar inverters that handle the transmission of electricity between solar panels and wind turbines. Some sources claim that official documents omitted the "kill switches," raising concerns about China's potential abuse or damage to vital energy equipment.

It is feared that using kill switches could cause issues with power grids, lack of energy and general disorder in nations that count on many Chinese-built renewable parts. The finding reveals that power inverters could be critical targets in cyberattacks on national power infrastructure.

According to Mike Rogers, former head of the US National Security Agency, China could arrange for damage to its infrastructure to prevent meaningful Western efforts in handling security challenges. During the past nine months, US experts have scrutinized Chinese hardware to uncover these hidden security breaches.

Firewalls are usually used by utilities to shield power inverters, yet unapproved devices discovered in the equipment can breach those protections and set off concerns for the security of renewable energy in the national grid.

Because of this fact, it is crucial to enhance the security of our energy infrastructure to avoid or limit potential trouble caused by hacking or other sabotage.