Cyber attack shut down small power plant
The government says at no point was there a risk to the UK's energy system during the attack in July.
A small power plant was shut down due to a cyber attack last month, according to the Daily Telegraph. The government confirmed that there was no risk to the UK's energy system during the attack. However, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has reached out to other power companies to raise awareness about the potential threat of cyber attacks.
The hackers responsible for the attack are believed to be affiliated with the Iranian regime. Neither the government nor the National Cyber Security Centre provided further details about the affected site due to security reasons. The power plant was offline for four days. DESNZ stated that the incident only affected a small-scale generator, and there was never any risk to the wider energy system.
The UK's power network relies on smaller gas generators for short-term power, and protecting the country's energy supplies is a significant challenge for the government. DESNZ is updating its cyber security regulations and working on a new energy resilience strategy for later this year. Iran has been considered a capable cyber power, but there has been little activity from state-affiliated hackers so far in response to the US conflict this year.
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