Chinese ‘kill switches’ found hidden in US solar farms

[Surrealistik]

Chinese ‘kill switches’ found hidden in US solar farms

Hidden cellular radios could be activated remotely with switches to cripple power grids in the event of a confrontation between the West and China

www.thetimes.com

Paywall removed here: https://archive.ph/3syeO

Chinese “kill switches” that could allow Beijing to cripple power grids and trigger blackouts across the West have been found in equipment at US solar farms.

The rogue devices, including cellular radios, were discovered in Chinese-made power inverters that are used to connect solar panels and wind turbines to electricity grids across the world, including the UK.

The hidden communications equipment could be deployed remotely to switch off inverters with potentially catastrophic results.

The discovery, reported by Reuters, will heighten concerns that China has installed covert malware in critical energy infrastructure throughout the US and Europe. The kill switches could be deployed at any time in the event of a confrontation between China and the West.

Not remotely surprising; China was already caught seeding heavily state subsidized, even dumped, telecommunications infrastructure per Huawei among other Chinese companies with exploitable backdoors and vulnerabilities per multiple reports, thus resulting in sweeping security motivated bans against their products in the West and among close allies such as Japan. While Trump's thoughtless and clumsy approach towards China and these issues leaves a great deal to be desired, this sort of thing underscores just how important it is to avoid and otherwise minimize dependency on our #1 geopolitical foe and rival for our strategic/critical goods and infrastructure.

 

[Tangmo]

Trust nothing made in China that has value to be exploited.

As we see this malware is discoverable and does get discovered. Our people are always on the lookout for it.

The USG does not normally reveal when they've found something which is also true of private enterprises in the USA. Neither does the USG reveal when they've hit the CCP with cyberattacks, sabotage, espionage and and much more. The embarrassed and humbled CCP isn't going to publicly holler and reveal their multiplicity of weakness and vulnerabilities either are they. CCP stays mum about all USG attacks against 'em over there.

Tik Tok needs to be shut down or change ownership, and this is just one such CCP Trojan Horse proliferating throughout USA vital infrastructure. **** Tik Tok.

 

[Lursa]

Chinese ‘kill switches’ found hidden in US solar farms

Hidden cellular radios could be activated remotely with switches to cripple power grids in the event of a confrontation between the West and China

www.thetimes.com

Paywall removed here: https://archive.ph/3syeO

Not remotely surprising; China was already caught seeding heavily state subsidized, even dumped, telecommunications infrastructure per Huawei among other Chinese companies with exploitable backdoors and vulnerabilities per multiple reports, thus resulting in sweeping security motivated bans against their products in the West and among close allies such as Japan. While Trump's thoughtless and clumsy approach towards China and these issues leaves a great deal to be desired, this sort of thing underscores just how important it is to avoid and otherwise minimize dependency on our #1 geopolitical foe and rival for our strategic/critical goods and infrastructure.

The bold. WTF?

OK. If this is "new" information for this administration...what are they going to do about it?

 

[Infinite Chaos]

Similarly, UK Defence industry here has warned staff here not to recharge or connect their mobile phones to their shiny new cheap Chinese EVs.

UK defence firms warn staff against connecting phones to Chinese-made EVs amid espionage fears

British defence firms working on sensitive government contracts have reportedly instructed staff not to connect mobile phones to Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs).

www.computing.co.uk

Think I saw something similar from the GCHQ as an advisory to all public sector workers.

 

[Port & Starboard]

Trumps fault.

 

[multivita-man]

Chinese ‘kill switches’ found hidden in US solar farms

Hidden cellular radios could be activated remotely with switches to cripple power grids in the event of a confrontation between the West and China

www.thetimes.com

Paywall removed here: https://archive.ph/3syeO



Not remotely surprising; China was already caught seeding heavily state subsidized, even dumped, telecommunications infrastructure per Huawei among other Chinese companies with exploitable backdoors and vulnerabilities per multiple reports, thus resulting in sweeping security motivated bans against their products in the West and among close allies such as Japan. While Trump's thoughtless and clumsy approach towards China and these issues leaves a great deal to be desired, this sort of thing underscores just how important it is to avoid and otherwise minimize dependency on our #1 geopolitical foe and rival for our strategic/critical goods and infrastructure.

Yeah, this is the argument against so-called "free" trade with China. Particularly since Xi came to power in 2011, China has used global trade to go beyond meeting economic targets; they've increasingly used it as geopolitical leverage. And under the current WTO framework, they get to self-declare as a 'developing' country, which they use to fundamentally skirt the same requirements that apply to more advanced economies.

This is beyond the pale. It's not the only example, and this is why countries are saying enough's enough and looking for other partners to trade with. Trump was and is not wrong to get more confrontational with China. My objection has been how he's chosen to go about that confrontation. He should be using our alliances, as Joe Biden was, to present a more unified front against the Chinese. Instead he's pushing some of our traditional trading partners (Canada, for example, and possible the EU as well) to consider more direct trade with the Great Dragon.

 

[Infinite Chaos]

Trump was and is not wrong to get more confrontational with China. My objection has been how he's chosen to go about that confrontation. He should be using our alliances, as Joe Biden was, to present a more unified front against the Chinese. Instead he's pushing some of our traditional trading partners (Canada, for example, and possible the EU as well) to consider more direct trade with the Great Dragon.

Goodness me, are you saying he hasn't thought through any of his actions and policies?

 

[multivita-man]

Goodness me, are you saying he hasn't thought through any of his actions and policies?

Possibly.

 

[uptower]

Trust nothing made in China that has value to be exploited.

As we see this malware is discoverable and does get discovered. Our people are always on the lookout for it.

I Trust DOGE and Big Balls have it under control...

 

[Along Came Jones]

China, Taiwan, and the PLA’s 2027 milestones. Taiwan is the highly probable flashpoint. Sooner rather than later.

[Media Bias / Fact Check rates the right center Lowy Institute] "high for factual reporting due to thorough sourcing of information and a clean fact-check record."

 

[Tangmo]

China, Taiwan, and the PLA’s 2027 milestones. Taiwan is the highly probable flashpoint. Sooner rather than later.

[Media Bias / Fact Check rates the right center Lowy Institute] "high for factual reporting due to thorough sourcing of information and a clean fact-check record."

The BIG QUESTION though is which comes first, the CCP economy going bust or a PLA assault against Taiwan going bust.

The "invasion" stuff is totally passe'. We're talking D-Day in 1944 and that Taiwan is 4 times a greater operation the PLA rookie command structure is utterly incompetent to do. Hell, the English Channel is 24 miles across while Taiwan is 90 miles out there.

Each side has offensive missiles don't we know, which means massive destruction on the CCP mainland from Beijing and Shanghai to the 7 Gorges Dam complex in the southeast. Busting the dam is like drowning the whole of the Confederacy.


I've been reading the Lowy Institute for years that's down there in Sidney Australia and is associated with the Hudson Institute sharpies in New York.

Yes, Lowy is well connected to the Five Eyes intelligence association of the English speaking countries that are of course, UK, Canada, USA, Oz and NZ. I'd be certain Lowy has physical access to the major CIA intel center in Alice Springs in the middle of the Oz desert in the middle of the island continent.

Triple-A Superb Lowy is. The Intercept is another good one down there in Oz. One can't go wrong going Lowy.

 

[Tangmo]

I Trust DOGE and Big Balls have it under control...

One of the conditions Trump has for a permanent tariff relief after 90 dayze is CCP subsidies to Tesla. I'd be pretty sure this one is a wrap.

 

[BirdinHand]

I thought that electrical panels/systems were required to have “kill switches” by the US’s National Electrical Code.

Are these nefarious or what is required?

I don’t see that mentioned in the article.

 

[Surrealistik]

I thought that electrical panels/systems were required to have “kill switches” by the US’s National Electrical Code.

Are these nefarious or what is required?

I don’t see that mentioned in the article.

This is a completely undeclared and out of spec remote switch (which apparently also allows an operator to change parameters); it's not nearly the same thing as a legitimate or industry standard kill switch. Absolutely suspicious at a bare minimum, and almost certainly nefarious.

From the article:

Inverters are built to include remote access via the cellular network and utility companies commonly install firewalls to prevent hacking and communication back to China. However, the rogue components were not listed in product documents when they were shipped to the US.

Using the devices to get around firewalls, China could potentially switch off inverters remotely or change their settings to bring down the grid.

“That effectively means there is a built-in way to physically destroy the grid,” one source told Reuters.

 

[snakestretcher]

This is a completely undeclared and out of spec remote switch; it's not nearly the same thing as a legitimate or industry standard kill switch. Absolutely suspicious at a bare minimum, and almost certainly nefarious.

To be fair we are relying on a media report which may, or may not be, accurate.

 

[Surrealistik]

To be fair we are relying on a media report which may, or may not be, accurate.

The source/root article is Reuters which does excellent work and is about as high credibility/factuality as it comes; it can be found here:

Rogue communication devices found in Chinese solar power inverters

U.S. energy officials are reassessing the risk posed by Chinese-made devices that play a critical role in renewable energy infrastructure after unexplained communication equipment was found inside some of them, two people familiar with the matter said.

www.reuters.com

They appear to be sourcing this direct from the people who are actually doing the work of security reviews/stripdowns.

 

[PeteEU]

Chinese ‘kill switches’ found hidden in US solar farms

Hidden cellular radios could be activated remotely with switches to cripple power grids in the event of a confrontation between the West and China

www.thetimes.com

Paywall removed here: https://archive.ph/3syeO



Not remotely surprising; China was already caught seeding heavily state subsidized, even dumped, telecommunications infrastructure per Huawei among other Chinese companies with exploitable backdoors and vulnerabilities per multiple reports, thus resulting in sweeping security motivated bans against their products in the West and among close allies such as Japan. While Trump's thoughtless and clumsy approach towards China and these issues leaves a great deal to be desired, this sort of thing underscores just how important it is to avoid and otherwise minimize dependency on our #1 geopolitical foe and rival for our strategic/critical goods and infrastructure.

Welll... I would like to see an independent investigation, before I believe anything from the right wing pro Trump Murdoch owned and well know fossil fuel advocate The Times.

This is the same news organisation that promoted anti-Huawei theories of exactly the same thing, which later on was proven false. So...I kinda am very sceptical.

Saying that, I would not be surprised at all. But then again, why is it a problem? Apple and Google can remotely delete apps and brick your phone, but that aint a problem? Or Nintendo doing the same? Or Sony on Playstations.. I mean, it should be "equal under the conspiracy theory law".. right?

 

[Surrealistik]

Welll... I would like to see an independent investigation, before I believe anything from the right wing pro Trump Murdoch owned and well know fossil fuel advocate The Times.

This is the same news organisation that promoted anti-Huawei theories of exactly the same thing, which later on was proven false. So...I kinda am very sceptical.

Saying that, I would not be surprised at all. But then again, why is it a problem? Apple and Google can remotely delete apps and brick your phone, but that aint a problem? Or Nintendo doing the same? Or Sony on Playstations.. I mean, it should be "equal under the conspiracy theory law".. right?

Reuters was reporting the very same, as stated above.

Certainly the Times was using more pointed language to describe the undeclared/rogue radio controls, but there's nothing in the article itself which is factually incorrect based on the original reporting from Reuters.

 

[PeteEU]

The source/root article is Reuters which does excellent work and is about as high credibility/factuality as it comes; it can be found here:

Rogue communication devices found in Chinese solar power inverters

U.S. energy officials are reassessing the risk posed by Chinese-made devices that play a critical role in renewable energy infrastructure after unexplained communication equipment was found inside some of them, two people familiar with the matter said.

www.reuters.com

They appear to be sourcing this direct from the people who are actually doing the work of security reviews/stripdowns.

Ahh better.. except... "US experts".. red flag considering the current US-China relations and the current Trump administration. Present the evidence to the world like you did with Huawei.. oh wait there was none.

 

[BirdinHand]

This is a completely undeclared and out of spec remote switch (which apparently also allows an operator to change parameters); it's not nearly the same thing as a legitimate or industry standard kill switch. Absolutely suspicious at a bare minimum, and almost certainly nefarious.

From the article:

Call me skeptical at best

Seems like a lot of “could be” speculation and nothing definitive.

“Kill switch” capabilities are a requirement. I’d like to see some definitive evidence that this isn’t exactly what it is designed and required to be and has any definite nefarious intent behind it.

 

[hecatmoggie]

we shouldn't allow China to own land in the USA, manufacturing, energy ..... allowing your enemy to be in your bedroom isn't smart

 

[BirdinHand]

we shouldn't allow China to own land in the USA, manufacturing, energy ..... allowing your enemy to be in your bedroom isn't smart

Post written from a device likely made in China

 

[Along Came Jones]

The BIG QUESTION though is which comes first, the CCP economy going bust or a PLA assault against Taiwan going bust.

The "invasion" stuff is totally passe'. We're talking D-Day in 1944 and that Taiwan is 4 times a greater operation the PLA rookie command structure is utterly incompetent to do. Hell, the English Channel is 24 miles across while Taiwan is 90 miles out there.

Each side has offensive missiles don't we know, which means massive destruction on the CCP mainland from Beijing and Shanghai to the 7 Gorges Dam complex in the southeast. Busting the dam is like drowning the whole of the Confederacy.


I've been reading the Lowy Institute for years that's down there in Sidney Australia and is associated with the Hudson Institute sharpies in New York.

Yes, Lowy is well connected to the Five Eyes intelligence association of the English speaking countries that are of course, UK, Canada, USA, Oz and NZ. I'd be certain Lowey has physical access to the major CIA intel center in Alice Springs in the middle of the Oz desert in the middle of the island continent.

Triple-A Superb Lowy is. The Intercept is another good one down there in Oz. One can't go wrong going Lowy.

I felt a reputation boost from Media Bias / Fact Check necessary for those readers not familiar with the Lowy Institute. As for an invasion being passe, the scenario historian Niall Ferguson derived from Xi Jinping's instruction to the People's Liberation Army to be capable of taking Taiwan by 2027, and their subsequent militarization of the East China and Philippine Seas, might begin with deploying a naval blockade. As much to provoke as to intimidate. That would require either a confrontation or a retreat by the U.S. China, he says, is pursuing a Cold War strategy and the U.S. is floundering without a counter strategy.

Retired General Charles Flynn, former commander of the United States Army, Pacific, almost word for word agrees with you. (US General Details China Military Plans to Defeat US in Taiwan War -- Newsweek) And so it is why I agree with Ferguson.

China has internal problems and opportunities. Rather than One China there are in reality several. I've gifted two articles from Foreign Policy Magazine, should you be interested, One,
A Thousand Ways of Being Chinese by Gina Anne Tam, is a book review. The other, Can China Trump-Proof Its Economy? by Yasheng Huang, is an economic argument. Tam explodes the image of a unified China while Huang explores the possibility of non reliance on an export economy in favor of growing self-sufficient domestic demand and consumption. The connection may not be clear at first, but with Xi's 1,000-year view of a historically unified China, a move against Taiwan sometime in the near future is probable. So I think.

 

[Lovebug]

To be fair we are relying on a media report which may, or may not be, accurate.

In this current political environment, nothing surprises me.
I know, articles say...
but

 

[Surrealistik]

Ahh better.. except... "US experts".. red flag considering the current US-China relations and the current Trump administration. Present the evidence to the world like you did with Huawei.. oh wait there was none.

Huawei's misdeeds in this regard have been ongoing since at least around the early 2010s: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ne-found-hidden-backdoors-in-huawei-equipment

And yes, it would be nice to get further evidence from govts alleging backdoors and deliberate vulnerabilities. Unfortunately intelligence agencies are loathe to reveal such information due to that obviously providing their hostile counterparts clues about exactly what they know, and how they came to know it. Suffice to say, most of the West isn't banning Huawei telecom equipment for the hell of it, and if they wanted to advantage their domestic industries, which is the most likely alternative motive, they could far more easily and legitimately punish it over the Chinese govt's heavy and anti-competitive subsidy of the company.

Call me skeptical at best

Seems like a lot of “could be” speculation and nothing definitive.

I would very much doubt whistle blowers doing the actual work of security stripping the panels would first make things up and then Reuters, among the very best of all reporting institutions, would then fail to vet them, nevermind there is past precedent from China for this sort of thing.