Utah-based Renewable Energy Company got hit by a cyber attack.

The attack created a communication gap between energy operators and generation installations.

sPower, a renewable energy company based in Salt Lake City, USA, experienced a brief cyber-attack earlier this year.

The news about the attack came when E&E News earlier reported it in April, and thereafter, proceeded to do further investigation.

The investigation revealed that the attack was caused by an unpatched firewall, and does not look like it was targeted.

The attack is said to have only cut contact between the renewable energy operator and the generation sites. No blackout was experienced from this attack, as the generation sites were designed to keep feeding the grid even when power operators lose communication with them.

According to the sPower report filed in March with the Department of Energy (DOE), the attackers took advantage of the Cisco firewall weakness to create blindness between the company’s operators and their solar and wind installations. The blindness is said to have occurred in a series of 5 minutes for 12 hours.

The report also says that the attack didn’t go beyond the sPower’s network, as the attack didn’t continue for long.

According to Security experts, the hackers may not have been aware of the effect of their actions on the power grid, as various industries make use of the Cisco firewall and if internet-exposed, are opportunistic targets for hackers.

sPower said they pacified the intrusion by ensuring all outdated devices were updated.

Is this cyber-attack the first?

This attack is the first to have been reported of a power grid operator in the US and does not look like any sabotage was intended.

However, it isn’t the first in the world.

Cyber-attacks on renewable energy is becoming a thing.

In December 2015, the first successful cyber attack was reported of the Ukranian power grid. The attack affected about three energy distribution companies, and it caused temporary disruption of power to about half a million consumers.

With such attacks been reported, it is safe to say cyber-attacks are becoming something to pay lots of attention to.

sPower

sPower is a renewable energy company that is co-owned by Canadian Investment Manager, AIMCo and Virginia-based Utility, AES corporation.

The company owns and operates utility-scale solar and wind assets and has its headquarters in Utah, United States.

It boasts of being the largest solar assets owner in the US.

News source: E&E News