FBI: Renewable energy systems vulnerable to cyber attacks


The FBI has issued an official alert to the public about the potential for malicious cyber actors to disrupt power generation, steal intellectual property, or hold critical information for ransom within the U.S. renewable energy sector.

The warning comes as federal and local governments increasingly advocate for renewable energies, expanding the industry and creating more opportunities for cyber threats. According to the FBI, a 2019 incident underscored these risks when a private company lost visibility into approximately 500 megawatts of its wind and photovoltaic sites across California, Utah, and Wyoming due to a denial-of-service attack exploiting an unpatched firewall.

Read more…
Source: MSN News


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • DarkSide ransomware will now vet targets after pipeline cyberattack

    May 10, 2021

    The DarkSide ransomware gang posted a new “press release” today stating that they are apolitical and will vet all targets before they are attacked. Last week, the ransomware gang encrypted the network for the Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline in the United States. Read more… Source: Bleeping Computer Related story: Colonial Pipeline cyberattack shuts down pipeline that supplies ...

  • Colonial Pipeline cyberattack shuts down pipeline that supplies 45% of East Coast’s fuel

    May 8, 2021

    Colonial Pipeline, which accounts for 45% of the East Coast’s fuel, said it has shut down its operations due to a cyberattack. The attack highlights how ransomware and other cyberattacks are increasingly a threat to real-world infrastructure. The company delivers refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, home heating oil and fuel for the ...

  • White House launches plan to protect US critical infrastructure against cyber attacks

    April 15, 2021

    The White House is reportedly moving swiftly forward with a plan to harden the security of the US power grid against hacking attacks. According to Bloomberg, the Biden administration has a plan to dramatically improve how power utilities defend themselves against attacks from countries considered to be adversaries in cyberspace – such as Russia, Iran, North ...

  • Iran calls blackout at Natanz atomic site ‘nuclear terrorism’

    April 11, 2021

    Iran condemned a blackout at its underground Natanz nuclear facility early on Sunday as an act of “nuclear terrorism” and said Tehran reserves the right to respond, but did not specify who was responsible and how Iran may react. “The act against the Natanz nuclear enrichment centre shows the defeat of the opponents of the country’s ...

  • USB threats to ICS systems have nearly doubled

    April 1, 2021

    The latest Honeywell USB Threat Report 2020 indicates that the number of threats specifically targeting Operational Technology systems has nearly doubled from 16% to 28%, while the number of threats capable of disrupting those systems rose from 26% to 59% over the same period. Let’s face it. Critical infrastructure operators in manufacturing, aerospace, energy, shipping, chemical, ...

  • Energy Giant Shell Is Latest Victim of Accellion Attacks

    March 23, 2021

    Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell is the latest victim of a series of attacks on users of the Accellion legacy File Transfer Appliance (FTA) product, which already has affected numerous companies and been attributed to the FIN11 and the Clop ransomware gang. “Shell has been impacted by a data-security incident involving Accellion’s File Transfer Appliance,” the ...