'Unprecedented' cyberattack on UK power plant caused by hackers linked to Iranian regime - report

Iranian hackers affiliated with the regime in Tehran shut down a British power plant for four days in an "unprecedented" cyberattack in late July, The Telegraph reported. This is believed to be the first successful attack of its kind in the UK.

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We have thresholds for important generators to legally notify us of cyber activity, and this site is nowhere near. It’s a very small-scale site, less than a rounding error compared to grid capacity.

British officials have not named the targeted power plant, citing security concerns. However, they noted that the facility is "relatively small" and the attack did not affect the UK's national power supply or its ability to generate power. "We have thresholds for important generators to legally notify us of cyber activity, and this site is nowhere near," a British government source told The Telegraph. "It’s a very small-scale site, less than a rounding error compared to grid capacity."

A British government spokesperson emphasized the UK's "highly resilient energy system." "We work closely with the energy sector to protect infrastructure and ensure the highest security standards," the spokesperson said. "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."

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We work closely with the energy sector to protect infrastructure and ensure the highest security standards. 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.

The attack occurred during a reported Iranian cyberattack that targeted over 30 municipal water systems in the US. US President Donald Trump stated in late July that he did not believe Iran was behind that particular cyberattack. Joe Slowik, director of threat research for Dataminr, told The Washington Post that similar attacks have occurred in water and energy systems across the United States since the beginning of the war with Iran, describing them as "a big deal."

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It is not a secret that these things have been taking place since the spring. There have been disruptions in multiple critical infrastructure sectors. It’s a big deal.