Jul 12

Home solar gets hacked

Happy Friday

This week, the FBI issued a Private Industry Notification (PIN) warning of vulnerabilities they've found in renewable energy technologies such as solar panels and inverters. Bad actors could exploit these vulnerabilities to steal intellectual property, disrupt operations, engage in ransomware extortion, or gain a political advantage.

Recent legislative efforts such as the Inflation Reduction Act have promoted the widespread adoption of renewable energy. As of late 2023, renewable energy accounts for about 21% of all US electricity production. Hackers, whether individuals or state-sponsored entities, are increasingly targeting both personal and commercial solar panel systems. They focus on the software that connects solar panels to inverters, which convert direct current into alternating current. Many of these inverters lack sufficient security measures, making them vulnerable to malicious cyber activities that could cause disruptions or leave them susceptible to remote invasion.

The Takeaway

The FBI has urged all employees and leaders in the renewable energy sector to promptly report any cyber intrusions, especially those originating from abroad. They have issued guidelines for best practices, including reporting unexpected visits to company facilities and suspicious solicitations, and to "apply general mitigation techniques to limit potential adversarial use of common system and network discovery."

That last tip is quite wordy but is the most important one. Here's an action item you can implement today to protect your home solar system: ensure that all your WiFi-connected energy-producing devices are on a separate WiFi network.

Better yet, ensure that all your WiFi-connected smart bulbs, TVs, thermostats, sprinklers, door locks, appliances, cars, or coffee machines are on a guest network separate from your computers, especially those used for work.

Implementing this best practice is also recommended for your office. Not sure where to start? Feel free to reach out, we can help.

Stay safe out there.

-A

By the way, please allow me to welcome Jason Richard, the newest addition to the Cypac Team. As Business Development Manager, he might be reaching out to you to say hello! His email is jason@cypac.com and you can always call 861-9595 to say hi.