Australia imports 90% of its solar panels and almost 80% of its EVs from China.
With 90% of solar panels imported from China, Australia is particularly vulnerable to the types of security threats currently emerging in the US energy sector where spyware-type components are found at SolarTech.
This is a warning from Australian strategic experts after a recent investigation discovered a hidden communications device with a Chinese-made solar inverter and battery.
Some of these components include cellular radio and are not listed in the product documentation. Also, remote access by hackers can control critical energy infrastructure and bypass firewalls.
“China believes it is worth putting at least some elements of its core infrastructure at risk of destruction or destruction,” Mike Rogers, former director of the US National Security Agency, told Reuters.
“I think the Chinese hope that the widespread use of inverters will limit the options that the West has to address security issues.”
The potential damage from a cyberattack is scattering chaos across the power grid, infrastructure, and causing widespread power outages.
