US officials have warned that a solar-powered motorway infrastructure could be suspended.
The consultants, published on August 20 by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), asked the agencies to scan chargers, weather stations on the roadside and traffic cameras for Rogue radios or other components that are embedded in inverter and batteries.
The safety note, as reported by Reutersfollows the increasing concerns about the presence of Chinese technology in American transport networks. Officials say that the devices could enable foreign actors to manipulate critical systems from a distance.
Hidden radio devices found in imported devices
The four -sided consultant of the FHWA cited previous reports on undocumented mobile radio devices that were found in certain inverters and battery management systems (BMS). The document did not confirm the origin of the devices, but many of these products are produced in China.
Experts fear that these components could be used to disturb the US infrastructure. “That could do a lot of chaos,” said Anomadarshi Barua, an academic at George Mason University, who studies inverter security.
He explained that Rogue Command's electricity sticks or sabotage street systems trigger and possibly impair future autonomous vehicle networks.
In May, US energy assistants were alerted after experts discovered suspicious communication devices in Chinese inhabitants and batteries. Around the same time, Denmark's Energy Group Green Power Denmark, inexplicable electronics in imported devices for his own power supply network.
Risks of remote manipulation and data theft
Inverters play a crucial role by converting energy from solar collectors or wind turbines into usable electricity. If it is compromised, malicious radios could be used for simultaneous failures or hidden data acquisition, warned the FHWA.
According to the consultant, the risks extend to a wide range of motorway infrastructures. This includes traffic cameras, street signs, weather stations, chargers for electric vehicles and even solar -powered visitor areas and warehouses.
The Ministry of Transport found that the consultant “summarizes public and not classified reporting to ensure that agencies carry out practical reduction steps for transport companies”.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which was also contacted, refer to inquiries to the Ministry of Transport.
The Chinese embassy in Washington rejected the claims and said that it had rejected “the distortion and smear of the achievements of China in the area of energy infrastructure”.
Steps recommended for US agencies
The FHWA proposed several measures to reduce the risks. The agencies were asked to create an inventory of all inverters, to scan them using the spectrum analysis in order to recognize non -authorized communication and to deactivate or remove and remove and remove and remove and remove the radio devices. The consultant also emphasized the segmentation networks to prevent greater damage in the event of a compromise.
The warning comes when Washington also tightens the restrictions for Chinese vehicles. Officials are concerned that Chinese car manufacturers could collect sensitive data while they could test autonomous cars in the USA.
At the beginning of this year, the trade department has completed rules that effectively ban most Chinese cars and trucks from the USA by the end of 2026.