A former analyst from the National Security Agency has expressed concerns about China strategically placing equipment that could potentially disrupt U.S. commerce, following the discovery of unauthorized communication devices in Chinese solar inverters.
U.S. experts stumbled upon an undocumented device during inspections aimed at identifying security issues in these inverters. The findings were shared with Reuters. These rogue inverters reportedly possess undocumented communication channels that can circumvent security firewalls, which raises significant concerns. Essentially, these devices serve to connect solar panels to the power grid.
Rocky Cole, who once worked as an Intelligence Reports analyst at the NSA and now co-leads IIVERIFY, noted that it is “entirely plausible” for China to use these questionable power inverters as a means to access critical American infrastructure.
Cole elaborated, mentioning that, in light of potential conflicts—such as those surrounding Taiwan—Chinese hardware could be employed for malicious cyber activities aimed at the U.S.
In a statement, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, asserted that the goal of China’s development is to improve living standards. He disputed the insinuation of wrongdoing and criticized the generalizations regarding national security that he felt distorted China’s advancements in energy infrastructure.
Interestingly, further reports indicate that unauthorized communication devices, including cellular radios, have been discovered in batteries from various Chinese suppliers over the last several months.
Cole emphasized that this situation highlights China’s readiness for a possible conflict involving the U.S. He remarked, “Strategically, these locations house devices that could theoretically disrupt U.S. commerce if tensions escalated.” He pointed out the difficulty in viewing Chinese-manufactured hardware as anything but a national security issue when it comes to critical infrastructure.
He emphasized the need for stringent supply chain monitoring to mitigate the risk of backdoors being integrated into hardware by intelligence operatives collaborating with manufacturers. “It’s vital for American officials to acknowledge the risks associated with Chinese hardware in critical infrastructure,” he added.
