在中國太陽能逆變器中發現惡意通訊設備（1/2）

Recently Yahoo News on-line picked up the following:

Rogue communication devices found in Chinese solar power inverters (1/2)

Reuters -Sarah McFarlane

Tue, May 13, 2025 at 10:05 p.m. PDT·8 min read

LONDON (Reuters) -U.S. energy officials are reassessing the risk posed by Chinese-made devices that play a critical role in renewable energy infrastructure after unexplained communication equipment was found inside some of them, two people familiar with the matter said.

Power inverters, which are predominantly produced in China, are used throughout the world to connect solar panels and wind turbines to electricity grids. They are also found in batteries, heat pumps and electric vehicle chargers.

While inverters are built to allow remote access for updates and maintenance, the utility companies that use them typically install firewalls to prevent direct communication back to China.

However, rogue communication devices not listed in product documents have been found in some Chinese solar power inverters by U.S experts who strip down equipment hooked up to grids to check for security issues, the two people said.

Over the past nine months, undocumented communication devices, including cellular radios, have also been found in some batteries from multiple Chinese suppliers, one of them said.

Reuters was unable to determine how many solar power inverters and batteries they have looked at.

The rogue components provide additional, undocumented communication channels that could allow firewalls to be circumvented remotely, with potentially catastrophic consequences, the two people said.

Both declined to be named because they did not have permission to speak to the media.

"We know that China believes there is value in placing at least some elements of our core infrastructure at risk of destruction or disruption," said Mike Rogers, a former director of the U.S. National Security Agency. "I think that the Chinese are, in part, hoping that the widespread use of inverters limits the options that the West has to deal with the security issue."

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said: "We oppose the generalisation of the concept of national security, distorting and smearing China's infrastructure achievements."

Using the rogue communication devices to skirt firewalls and switch off inverters remotely, or change their settings, could destabilise power grids, damage energy infrastructure, and trigger widespread blackouts, experts said.

"That effectively means there is a built-in way to physically destroy the grid," one of the people said,

The two people declined to name the Chinese manufacturers of the inverters and batteries with extra communication devices, nor say how many they had found in total.

The existence of the rogue devices has not previously been reported. The U.S. government has not publicly acknowledged the discoveries.

Asked for comment, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said it continually assesses risk associated with emerging technologies and that there were significant challenges with manufacturers disclosing and documenting functionalities.

"While this functionality may not have malicious intent, it is critical for those procuring to have a full understanding of the capabilities of the products received," a spokesperson said.

Work is ongoing to address any gaps in disclosures through "Software Bill of Materials" - or inventories of all the components that make up a software application - and other contractual requirements, the spokesperson said.

 TRUSTED EQUIPMENT

 As U.S.-China tensions escalate, the U.S. and others are reassessing China's role in strategic infrastructure because of concerns about potential security vulnerabilities, two former government officials said.

"The threat we face from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is real and growing. Whether it's telecom hacks or remotely accessing solar and battery inverters, the CCP stops at nothing to target our sensitive infrastructure and components," said U.S. Representative August Pfluger, a Republican member of the Committee on Homeland Security.

"It is about time we ramp up our efforts to show China that compromising us will no longer be acceptable," he told Reuters.

In February, two U.S. Senators introduced the Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act, banning the Department of Homeland Security from purchasing batteries from some Chinese entities, starting October 2027, due to national security concerns.

The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on March 11 and has yet to be enacted.

It aims to prevent Homeland Security from procuring batteries from six Chinese companies Washington says are closely linked to the Chinese Communist Party: Contemporary Amperex Technology Company (CATL), BYD Company, Envision Energy, EVE Energy Company, Hithium Energy Storage Technology Company, and Gotion High-tech Company.

None of the companies responded to requests for comment.

Utilities are now preparing for similar bans on Chinese inverter manufacturers, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

Some utilities, including Florida's largest power supplier Florida Power & Light Company, are attempting to minimise the use of Chinese inverters by sourcing equipment from elsewhere, according to two people familiar with the matter. FPL did not respond to requests for comment.

The DOE spokesperson said: "As more domestic manufacturing takes hold, DOE is working across the federal government to strengthen U.S. supply chains, providing additional opportunities to integrate trusted equipment into the power grid."

(to be continued)

Translation

在中國太陽能逆變器中發現惡意通訊設備（1/2）

倫敦（路透社）—美國兩位知情人士表示，在一些中國製造的設備中發現了不明通訊設備之後，美國能源官員正在重新評估這些在再生能源基礎設施中發揮關鍵作用的設備所帶來的風險。

電源逆變器主要在中國生產，在世界各地用於將太陽能電池板和風力渦輪機連接到電網。它們也存在於電池、熱泵和電動車充電器中。

雖然逆變器的設計允許遠端存取以進行更新和維保修養，但使用它們的公用事業公司通常會安裝防火牆，以防止直接通訊回中國。

然而，兩位知情人士表示，美國專家在拆卸連接到電網的設備以檢查安全問題時，在一些中國太陽能逆變器中發現了產品文件中未列出的惡意通訊設備。

其中一人表示，在過去九個月裡，在多家中國供應商的部分電池中還發現了未登記的通訊設備，包括移動式無線電設備。

路透社無法確定他們查看了多少太陽能逆變器和電池。

兩位知情人士表示，這些惡意元件提供了額外的、未記錄的通訊管道，可能允許遠端繞過防火牆，從而可能造成災難性的後果。

由於未獲准向媒體發言，兩人均拒絕透露姓名。

美國國家安全局前局長 Mike Rogers 表示： “我們知道，中國認為將我們核心基礎設施的至少一部分置於可遭到破壞或乾擾的風險之中是值得去做的”; “我認為，中國人在某種程度上希望逆變器的廣泛使用能夠限制西方處理安全問題的選擇。”

中國駐華盛頓大使館發言人表示： “我們反對泛化國家安全概念，歪曲和抹黑中國基礎設施建設成就。”

專家表示，使用惡意通訊設備繞過防火牆, 並遠距離關閉逆變器或更改其設定, 可能會破壞電網穩定、損壞能源基礎設施並引發大面積停電。

其中一位知情人士表示： “這實際上意味著存在一種內在方式, 用實質性的力量摧毀電網。”

這兩位知情人士拒絕透露生產這些帶有額外通訊設備的逆變器和電池的中國製造商的名字，也沒有透露他們總共發現了多少台這樣的設備。

此前從未有關於此類惡意設備存在的報道。美國政府尚未公開承認這項發現。

當被要求發表評論時，美國能源部 (DOE) 表示，它不斷評估與新興技術相關的風險，並且在處理製造商在被露和記錄功能方面面臨重大挑戰。

一位發言人表示： “雖然此功能可能沒有惡意，但對於採購人員來說，充分了解所收到產品的功能至關重要。”

發言人表示，目前正在努力透過「軟件物料清單」（或構成軟件應用程式的所有組件的清單）和其他合約要求,解決任何披露差距。

可靠的設備

兩位前政府官員表示，隨著中美緊張局勢升級，美國和其他國家出於對潛在安全漏洞的擔憂，正在重新評估中國在戰略基礎設施中的作用。

美國國土安全委員會共和黨議員 August Pfluger 表示： “我們面臨的來自中國共產黨 (CCP)的威脅是真實存在的，而且日益嚴重。無論是電信黑客攻擊，還是遠程接駁太陽能和電池逆變器，中共不擇手段地攻擊我們敏感的基礎設施和組件。”

他告訴路透社： “現在我們應該加大努力，向中國表明，我們不再冒有害影響的風險。”

今年2月，兩名美國參議員提出《脫離依賴國外敵對性電池法案》，基於國家安全考慮，禁止美國國土安全部自2027年10月起從某些中國實體購買電池。

該法案於3月11日提交參議院國土安全和政府事務委員會，等待頒布。

法案目的是阻止國土安全部向華盛頓稱與中國共產黨關係密切的六家中國公司採購電池：寧德時代新能源科技股份有限公司（CATL）、比亞迪公司、遠景能源公司、億緯鋰能公司、華星儲能技術公司和國軒高科公司。

上述公司均未回應置評請求。

三位知情人士透露, 美國從事公用事業機構目前正在準備對中國逆變器製造商實施類似的禁用。

據兩位知情人士透露，包括佛羅裡達州最大的電力供應商佛羅裡達電力與照明公司(FPL)在內的一些公用事業公司, 正試圖透過從其他地方採購設備來盡量減少中國逆變器的使用。 FPL 沒有回應置評請求。

美國能源部發言人表示： “隨著越來越多國內製造業的紮根，美國能源部正在與聯邦政府合作，加強美國供應鏈，為將可靠設備整合到電網上提供更多機會。”

（待續）