Rogue communication devices found in Chinese solar inverters

px_eliezer_

Rogue communication devices found in Chinese solar power inverters

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/ghost-machine-rogue-communication-devices-found-chinese-inverters-2025-05-14/

Somewhat-Reticent

Wouldn’t this be a standard requirement in China ?

InternetJeff

Eye-opening takaways from the article…

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.

[…]

The rogue components provide additional, undocumented communication channels that could allow firewalls to be circumvented remotely, with potentially catastrophic consequences, the two people said.

Not surprising.

Also of concern are undocumented cellular radios installed in some batteries, also reported in the article.

Somewhat-Reticent

Cheap Chinese products are often ( mostly ) copies of other Chinese products.
Doesn’t mean every potential use is enabled, but could be a security risk.
( Some firms offer bounties for hacking info. )

toolman1990

Not surprising since I am assuming China has planted back doors into the equipment, so they have the ability to turn off/brick the equipment in the event we go to war with China over Taiwan.

Somewhat-Reticent

toolman1990 That assumption overstates.
Many Chinese devices sole globally are simply copies of home market versions.
No overt planting of back-doors is required, only ignoring deactivation or removal of said features - since copying is cheaper than understanding.
Turning off or bricking may be far lower priority than calculating social standing.
This is important to China’s government - if users are Chinese.

telcodad

After kill switches in Chinese solar panels in U.S, Denmark finds suspicious parts in East Asian circuit boards
Economic Times of India - May 24, 2025
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/after-kill-switches-in-chinese-solar-panels-in-u-s-denmark-finds-suspicious-parts-in-east-asian-circuit-boards/articleshow/121381403.cms

What exactly was found in Denmark’s energy components
Danish power firms found unlisted parts on East Asian circuit boards meant for green infrastructure. The episode illustrates increasing distrust of foreign technology in key energy systems, according to an industry group.

Technology companies, which had planned to use the parts in green power infrastructure, say the discovery raises questions about energy security and espionage.

A week after the US claimed to have found “kill switches” in a shipment of solar panels and batteries from China, it has sparked worries about the possibility of remote power outages or digital espionage, as quoted in a report by The Sunday Times. …

Somewhat-Reticent

telcodad Of course, no overt conspiracy is required for this.
Only cheap customers looking to cheap vendors who can’t afford
to change circuitry ( clip chip fuses )
or obtain documentation on excess features considered normal in China.