A former National Security Agency intelligence analyst has suggested China may be placing devices in “strategic places” after mysterious communication devices were recently discovered in Chinese-produced solar power inverters used in U.S. electric grids.
Two sources recently told Reuters that U.S. experts who check for potential security issues with equipment used for power grids have discovered that rogue communication devices not included in the official documents for the products have been discovered in Chinese solar power inverters. One of the anonymous sources told Reuters that cellular radios and other undocumented communication devices have also been discovered in certain batteries from various suppliers in China over the past nine months.
According to Reuters, the two sources explained that the rogue components discovered in the Chinese solar power inverters allow undocumented communication channels that could potentially be used to remotely bypass firewalls and cause significant harm.
Rocky Cole, a former National Security Agency intelligence analyst, told Fox News that it was “very conceivable that China was using the solar power inverters to secure access to America’s infrastructure.
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Cole told Fox News, “It very much fits into the model of China implanting hardware in American critical infrastructure for the purpose of planning cyberattacks against the United States in the event of, say, a conflict with Taiwan or something along those lines.”
While the sources did not tell Reuters which Chinese companies were responsible for the production of the solar power inverters or batteries discovered with communication devices, Fox News reported that Chinese companies are required by law to provide assistance to China’s intelligence agencies when needed.
“There are communications devices in these really strategic places that you can imagine could theoretically be used to disrupt U.S. commerce in the event of some sort of conflict,” Cole stated. “It’s difficult not to view Chinese-made hardware in the realm of critical infrastructure as a national security threat in my mind.”
In response to the allegations regarding the Chinese-produced equipment, Liu Pengyu, a Chinese Embassy spokesperson, told Fox News, “The goal of China’s pursuit of development is to enable its people to live a better life. We oppose the presumption of guilt under unclear facts, the generalization of the concept of national security, and the distortion and smear of China’s achievements in the field of energy infrastructure.”
