Hackers Can Cripple Your Electricity Supply | How !

Your power supply might get crippled and effected due to a security flaw in solar panels.Well this may result to cause power outage in whole of European Grids.

With the advancement of technology and progression in the field of IoT(Internet of Things) the interconnection of devices has increased the number of security flaws.The threat of getting energy grids hacked due to a flaw in solar panels has now recently been discovered by a Dutch researcher.

Willem Westerhof, a cybersecurity researcher at Dutch security firm ITsec has discovered a list of 17+ vulnerable security flaws in Internet-connected inverters – which forms and integral and essential component of solar panel that turns direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC).

The inverters are internet connected, which means that hackers could potentially remotely access and control the inverters hence they can alter the flow of electricity which may result in overloading the system and cause instability in grid. This instability can cause power outages.Electricity grids in Europe are interconnected because power is exchanged between countries across the continent. An attack on one part would result in a power cut in another.These vulnerabilities can easily be exploited remotely if the equipment was connected to a network accessible to the attacker.

The vulnerabilities affects the photovoltaics (PV), made by German solar equipment company SMA, which if exploited in large number, could lead to electrical grids getting knocked offline.

"Horus Scenario" Westerhof's research is named after the Egyptian god of the sky. It was first published in a Dutch newspaper Volkskrant, and now Westerhof has launched a website detailing the vulnerabilities.

The good news though is that this is preventable.If you install a new solar panels you should change any default passwords. You can also disconnect the inverters from the internet, which would remove the weakness completely.

This shows how advances in technology are helping us aim for cleaner and greener future but at the same time increasing the risks affected of security flaws and vulnerabilities.

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