You installed solar panels on your roof to save money and help the environment, but have you ever considered their security? Researchers are warning that the increasing number of home solar installations is creating a new vulnerability that could allow hackers to cause widespread disruption to our power grids.
🔌 The Smart Inverter: A New Entry Point
The critical component is the **smart inverter**. This device connects your rooftop solar panels to the local power network, converting the DC power from your panels into the AC power your home uses. Crucially, these inverters are also connected to the internet for monitoring, and this web connection is the weak point that hackers can exploit.
💻 How an Attack Could Work
According to researchers at CSIRO, Australia’s government research agency, hackers have multiple ways to compromise these inverters. They could exploit security flaws in the hardware or software, trick users into granting excessive app permissions, or even work with manufacturers to embed malicious code. Once enough inverters are compromised, they can be used to launch a coordinated attack on the broader grid.
⚡ Targeting the Grid’s Frequency
A particularly concerning threat is an attack on the grid’s frequency control. Power grids must maintain a stable frequency (around 50 hertz in Europe) to function correctly. If hackers use thousands of compromised inverters to manipulate power flow, they could destabilize this frequency and cause **cascading power-system failures**. With many inverters having lifespans of 15 years or more, their cybersecurity defenses can become easily outdated, making this a growing and persistent threat.
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Woodford, James. “Home solar’s threat to power grids.” New Scientist, vol. 267, no. 3551, 12 July 2025, p. 11.
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