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US officials are reassessing the risks posed by Chinese-made devices to renewable energy infrastructure, according to the news agency. Reuters cites two anonymous sources, who provided only a few details. Unexplained communication devices have been found inside some Chinese-made inverters, according to a Reuters report. The news agency reports that US energy authorities are reassessing the risk posed by Chinese-made devices, according to two anonymous sources. The number of devices investigated has also not been disclosed. The investigation comes after unauthorized communication devices not listed in product documentation were discovered in some Chinese solar inverters, according to Reuters. The devices were apparently found over a nine-month period and include communication devices such as cellular radios. Reuters also reports that a source revealed that undocumented communication devices had been found in some batteries from multiple Chinese suppliers. According to Reuters, these devices could provide additional, undocumented communication channels that would allow firewalls to be circumvented. pv magazine cannot verify this information. The European Solar Manufacturers Council (ESMC), which represents the interests of European manufacturers, called the report on hidden devices very worrying, and the association has urged the European Commission to develop and deploy a toolbox for inverter security. The Reuters revelation comes as the debate surrounding cybersecurity and electricity infrastructure is heating up in the European Union. SolarPower Europe published a new report on April 29 identifying smart inverters as a vulnerable gateway to cyberattacks. Written by cybersecurity services provider DNV, the report states that an attack targeting 3 GW of generating capacity could have significant implications for the European electricity grid. The report states that while EU legislation such as the Cyber ??Resilience Act, the NIS2 Directive, and the Network Code for Cybersecurity (NCCS) “mitigate some of the risk,” further measures are needed to mitigate cybersecurity risks. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, quoted by Reuters, said: We oppose the generalization of the concept of national security, distorting and discrediting Chinas achievements in infrastructure. |
