Iranian Hackers Shut Down UK Power Plant
Iranian Hackers Shut Down UK Power Plant
The News
Iranian hackers shut down a UK power generator for four days last month, The Telegraph reported Saturday — believed to be the first time Iranian-affiliated hackers have successfully taken a British facility of that kind offline.
Officials have not named the plant. It is understood to be a "small-scale energy generator," and the British government says the wider grid was never at risk.
The Sun, citing the same reporting, said the shutdown unfolded at the same time as a string of attacks on US infrastructure last month that affected 12 states.
Timeline
The first US breach is reported in Minnesota, according to The Sun, followed by copycat attacks in Michigan, Georgia, South Dakota and New Jersey. The hacks caused flooding at dozens of wastewater treatment plants, and some regional authorities told customers to boil their water. Government sources told local media the threat likely originated in Tehran.
The UK generator is knocked offline and stays down for four days while staff work to restore it.
The incident is flagged to the National Cyber Security Centre, the public-facing arm of GCHQ. The government briefs power company chief executives and writes to businesses with advice.
The Telegraph reports the shutdown; The Independent, The Sun and Human Events follow.
Reactions
A UK government spokesman said: "The UK has a highly resilient energy system. We work closely with the energy sector to protect infrastructure and ensure the highest security standards." The spokesman added: "This story refers to an incident impacting a small-scale energy generator, and at no point was there a risk to the wider energy system."
Dr. Richard Horne, head of the National Cyber Security Centre, warned earlier this year that most nationally significant cyber attacks on Britain are carried out by hostile states including China, Iran and Russia. He said the centre deals with roughly four such attacks a week, and warned that the UK could be targeted "at scale" if it became involved in an international conflict.
The NCSC was contacted for comment by The Independent and had not responded.
What's Next
GCHQ is developing a national AI cyber shield — described as the first of its kind — that would use AI agents to flag threats to critical national infrastructure, airlines, telecoms firms and other major companies. It is hoped to be running within five years.
British officials have still not confirmed which plant was hit, and the NCSC has not commented publicly on the incident.
More
The attack fits a pattern British and American agencies have been warning about. UK cyber incidents have already hit NHS systems, schools, retailers, the Electoral Commission's voter records, the Co-op and production lines at Jaguar Land Rover. The Sun also reported that an Iran-linked hacker group breached FBI drones and threatened to target World Cup team buses this summer.
Until now, no hacker is thought to have ever brought a British power plant to a complete standstill.
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