Spain investigating hacking link in blackout that hit daily services

Following last month's widespread blackout, Spain's National Cybersecurity Institute (Incibe) is reportedly scrutinising the cyber defenses of small electricity generators. Investigators are trying to determine if these smaller entities presented a vulnerability that malicious actors could have exploited to disrupt the national power grid. According to a report by The Financial Times, Incibe's inquiries are intensifying the debate surrounding the blackout's cause, particularly whether Spain's reliance on renewable energy played a role.

However, senior government officials have expressed "concerns" regarding the cyber security measures in place at smaller power facilities, especially the numerous solar and wind farms that have emerged as Spain has become a leader in renewables, the report said, citing a source familiar with the situation.

Cyberattack may be a cause of Spain Blackout
While the exact cause of the Iberian power grid collapse on April 28 remains unknown, Spain's energy and environment ministry stated that a cyber attack has not been ruled out, emphasising that "everything remains on the table." Separately, Spain's National High Court has initiated an investigation into the possibility of a cyber attack being the cause.

The government revealed last week that Spain experienced 1,00,000 cyber attacks across all sectors in the past year, with 70% targeting businesses and organisations. This announcement coincided with a 1.1 billion euros investment to bolster national cybersecurity.

On April 28, a blackout impacted Spain and Portugal, affecting the daily lives of 50 million people across the Iberian Peninsula. The power outage caused widespread disruption, halting subway operations, interrupting phone services, disabling traffic signals, and rendering ATMs unusable. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica initially estimated a 6 to 10-hour timeframe for restoring electricity.

European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, formerly a Spanish minister, stated that current evidence does not suggest sabotage or a cyberattack as the cause.

"We are investigating with the utmost caution to determine the specific causes of this incident, which is one of the most serious in Europe in recent times," Ribera commented.