{
  "id": 14415482,
  "title": "Cybersecurity: „Kein abstraktes Szenario“ – EU-Bericht warnt vor Angriffsrisiko auf Europas Solaranlagen",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/cybersecurity-kein-abstraktes-szenario-eu-bericht-warnt-vor",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-14T09:34:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/energie/cybersicherheit-eu-bericht-warnt-vor-sicherheitsluecken-in-solaranlagen/100261076.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "In a new report for the European Commission, the Smart Energy Expert Group (SEEG) warns of a cyber risk to Europe's solar installations as solar energy becomes increasingly relevant. The authors explain that a successful attack could lead to imbalances, overloads in the power grid or voltage disruptions, potentially causing widespread power outages. With the number of solar installations on the grid, the danger grows. One case from the solar industry demonstrates that cyber threats are not just theoretical. Any solar installation can be controlled remotely with a single button press, through the heart of each module: the inverter. This central control unit feeds power into the grid, regulates energy flow and can upload updates from its own cloud. For this purpose, inverters are automatically connected to the internet. Technically, they can even disconnect from the grid if needed, for example when they generate too much power. However, they are also vulnerable to attack. In Germany alone, there are already over six million solar installations, producing nearly 17 percent of the country's electricity last year. According to the German Solar Industry Association (BSW), Germany currently has a capacity of 125 gigawatts. The problem is that even though each inverter controls a small amount of power, combined they can disrupt the entire power network. Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in Europe are no longer just a hypothetical scenario but a real threat to our energy security, warns SPD-Europaabgeordnete Tiemo Wölken. The report, however, does not only highlight technical weaknesses. The authors also emphasize a geopolitical dimension: The market for inverters is dominated by a handful of companies, primarily Chinese firms like Huawei, Growatt, Sungrow, and Solis. These manufacturers already controlled 180 gigawatts of solar power in Europe's network last year, and a single manufacturer like Huawei could theoretically control 100 gigawatts. The software developer Marlon Starkloff demonstrated this potential in August by hacking into the control portal of the Chinese company Sungrow, showing that he could have switched off 17 gigawatts of solar power in Europe alone. Sungrow claims that the reported vulnerability was not capable of turning off plants or causing a widespread blackout, but Starkloff counters that the new password could be changed without verification, allowing him to reset it without a valid email address. The underlying problem remains: All solar installations are connected to a cloud, and no one would consider controlling the power of all coal and nuclear power plants from a single platform. This case also highlights a structural problem in the solar industry: Millions of decentralized installations are controlled by a few digital platforms. What is technically deemed an efficiency gain can become a problem in the event of a crisis, potentially destabilizing critical infrastructure in a hybrid conflict. The SEEG experts call for significant improvements in European legislation, including limiting the use of risky suppliers through the revised Cybersecurity Act (CSA) and the Industrial Promotion Act (IAA). The EU Commission is currently negotiating a draft of the revised CSA, aiming to exclude \"untrustworthy\" suppliers from the EU market.",
  "summary": "Experten sehen erhebliche Sicherheitslücken in der Energieinfrastruktur. Ein jüngst bekannt gewordener Fall zeigt, wie real das Risiko ist.",
  "key_points": [
    "EU report warns of cyber risk to Europe's solar installations",
    "Successful attack could cause power grid imbalances and outages",
    "Germany has over six million solar installations, producing 17% of electricity"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}