Over 130,000 solar energy monitoring systems, including various vendors’ products, have been found to be exposed online, making them potential targets for hackers. While the exposed assets may not be vulnerable, unauthenticated visitors can still access information that could be used in an attack. Vulnerabilities have been reported, and exploit codes are available for some of the products, increasing the risk of attacks on systems with older firmware versions. Hackers have already exploited vulnerabilities in these systems, using them for activities like distributed denial-of-service attacks. Neglected maintenance and upgrades also make these systems more susceptible to attacks. System administrators are advised to use strong credentials, enable multi-factor authentication, and keep their systems updated to enhance security.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over 130,000 solar energy monitoring systems exposed online | Exposure of solar monitoring systems | Improved security measures for remote management | Increasing connectivity and reliance on renewable energy |
| Sensitive info exposed | Potential risk for attack on PV systems | Increased focus on securing PV systems | Growing concern over cybersecurity threats |
| Active exploitation | Exploitation of vulnerabilities in PV systems | Enhanced security measures and updates for PV systems | Rise in cyberattacks on renewable energy infrastructure |