A small power plant in the UK was shut down for four days last month by a cyber attack carried out by hackers believed to be linked to Iran.

Energy bosses have since been briefed by Britain’s security chiefs on the attack with advice, direction and next steps.

British officials did not deny a report in that the attack closed down the site for four days and Iran-linked hackers were believed to be responsible.

What happened?

The incident took place at the same time as a series of attacks on US water infrastructure last month, which affected 12 states and raised concerns in the White House.

The attack was on a small-scale energy generator, according to the UK Government, which stressed that the outage had no impact on the UK’s wider power supply.

The Government has refused to name the plant, citing security concerns, but it was not an attack on an essential service such as a power station, The i Paper understands.

A person familiar with the matter emphasised that the attack was on a small-scale generator rather than a commercial power plant or a power station.

This is believed to be the first time that hackers affiliated with the Iranian regime have succeeded in shutting down this type of facility in the UK, making it the most successful cyber attack of its kind, reported.

There are dozens of small-scale power plants across Britain which are often gas-fired and only used for a few hours a week – for instance, when wind speeds are low and extra energy is required. Outages at facilities like this do not affect the wider power grid.

Who attacked the site?

The hackers were allegedly affiliated with the Iranian regime but further details have not yet emerged.
The attacks against US water systems last month were believed to be orchestrated by a group called CyberAv3ngers, operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was proscribed as a terrorist group by the UK Government last month.

Why was the site attacked?

The US and Iran have been at war since February.

The UK has refused to help the US in its offensive operations but has allowed the US to launch so-called “defensive” operations against Tehran from British bases.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said last month that “any base used for aggression against Iranian territory constitutes a legitimate target for our forces”.

The cyber attack marks an apparent escalation in the risk posed by Iran to the UK.
British and American intelligence agencies have repeatedly raised concerns about hackers from Iran, China, North Korea and Russia.

Critical national infrastructure and government agencies are often targeted by cyber attacks.

The incident may have been designed to prove that hackers linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could gain access to systems in the UK and close down sensitive infrastructure sites.

What is the Government doing about this?

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero discussed the incident with energy company chief executives and wrote to firms with “advice, direction and next steps”.

The Government is working on an Energy Resilience Strategy, which will be published later this year and sets out a plan for ensuring the energy system stays resilient to a wide range of risks, including climate change, technology advancements and geopolitical developments.

The Network and Information Systems Regulations set cyber resilience requirements for the most critical operators across the energy system.

A Government spokesperson said: “The UK has a highly resilient energy system. 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.”