Modat: Exposed renewable energy systems put solar and wind farms at risk

Thousands of Solar and Wind Energy Systems Exposed to Cyberattacks Across Europe

Researchers from internet intelligence firm Modat have uncovered 8,547 publicly accessible management interfaces and control panels for solar and wind energy systems across 35 countries, leaving them vulnerable to cyberattacks. The study, conducted in 40 EU, EFTA, and EU candidate states, revealed widespread exposure in critical renewable energy infrastructure.

Among the findings:

• 7,942 solar systems in 34 countries were exposed, with Spain (2,766 systems, 35% of total) leading, followed by Germany, Greece, and Italy together accounting for 76% of all solar exposures.
• 605 wind farm systems in 23 countries were identified, with Germany and Italy comprising 67% of the total.
• The Netherlands had 132 exposed solar systems and 9 wind farm systems.
• At 181 locations, researchers gained full control, enabling actions such as shutting down turbines or entire wind farms with minimal effort. Access also provided live production data and precise turbine locations.

The exposed systems were discovered within hours, highlighting the ease with which attackers could map and exploit them. Modat’s CEO, Soufian El Yadmani, emphasized the digital fragility of renewable energy infrastructure, noting that "what we can map in hours, an attacker can map in hours too."

Administrators of the affected systems have been notified and advised to take them offline to mitigate risks. The findings were presented at The ONE Conference in The Hague earlier this week.

Source: https://cybernews.com/news/european-wind-solar-systems-exposed-cyberattacks/

Modat cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/modat-io

"id": "MOD1791801078",
"linkid": "modat-io",
"type": "Vulnerability",
"date": "10/2026",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Renewable Energy',
                        'location': '35 countries (EU, EFTA, and EU candidate '
                                    'states)',
                        'type': 'Solar and wind energy systems'},
                       {'industry': 'Renewable Energy',
                        'location': 'Spain, Germany, Greece, Italy, '
                                    'Netherlands',
                        'size': '7,942 systems',
                        'type': 'Solar energy systems'},
                       {'industry': 'Renewable Energy',
                        'location': 'Germany, Italy, Netherlands',
                        'size': '605 systems',
                        'type': 'Wind farm systems'}],
 'attack_vector': 'Publicly accessible management interfaces and control '
                  'panels',
 'data_breach': {'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (critical infrastructure data)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': 'Live production data, precise '
                                             'turbine locations'},
 'description': 'Researchers from internet intelligence firm Modat have '
                'uncovered 8,547 publicly accessible management interfaces and '
                'control panels for solar and wind energy systems across 35 '
                'countries, leaving them vulnerable to cyberattacks. The study '
                'revealed widespread exposure in critical renewable energy '
                'infrastructure, enabling potential shutdowns of turbines or '
                'entire wind farms, access to live production data, and '
                'precise turbine locations.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Live production data, precise turbine '
                                'locations',
            'operational_impact': 'Potential shutdown of turbines or entire '
                                  'wind farms',
            'systems_affected': '8,547 solar and wind energy systems'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (research findings disclosed)',
 'lessons_learned': 'Critical renewable energy infrastructure is digitally '
                    'fragile and easily mappable by attackers. Immediate '
                    'action is required to secure exposed systems.',
 'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': 'Secure management '
                                                  'interfaces, implement '
                                                  'network segmentation, and '
                                                  'enhance monitoring',
                            'root_causes': 'Misconfigured or unsecured '
                                           'management interfaces and control '
                                           'panels'},
 'recommendations': 'Take exposed systems offline, implement network '
                    'segmentation, enhance monitoring, and secure management '
                    'interfaces.',
 'references': [{'source': 'Modat Research'},
                {'source': 'The ONE Conference in The Hague'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Findings presented at The ONE '
                                        'Conference in The Hague',
              'containment_measures': 'Administrators notified and advised to '
                                      'take systems offline'},
 'stakeholder_advisories': 'Administrators of affected systems advised to take '
                           'systems offline.',
 'title': 'Thousands of Solar and Wind Energy Systems Exposed to Cyberattacks '
          'Across Europe',
 'type': 'Exposure of Critical Infrastructure',
 'vulnerability_exploited': 'Misconfigured or unsecured management interfaces'}