Posted on 05/28/2020 5:34:56 AM PDT by Enlightened1
Lots can be learned just by listening in on the current. See Sense.com.
That and install some hidden kill switches. Trust NOTHING from the Chinese. They lie.
I wouldn’t put it past the ChiComs to put circuits in those transformers that can crash the grid whenever it was convenient for China to do so.
That item about “ diagnostic electronics” caught my eye, too, and I had the same reaction as you.
How hard would it be to send intel to China regarding power flows? That would be incredibly valuable information for an enemy. Worse, could an outside command take the transformer offline or cause it to self-destruct?
I remember threats Communist China made against the Philippines last year that made the news in Europe and in the US after Communist China threatened to take the Philippines power grid down with a push of a button. I think that spurred US authorities into action
Why on earth WOULDN’T a country like China build in some destructive short circuits and make them addressable via satellite?
Why
WOULDN’T
they?
Does anyone remember Broadband over Power Lines? BPL
It was supposed to be the easy way to deliver broadband nationwide.
What if the Chicoms are using the transformers as means of sending data through power lines?
Or maybe our gov’t sends data over power lines and Chicoms are trying to tap into it.
Our military isn’t the brightest.
----
This is important because Sandia does some of the most sensitive work that the government does and as an advanced engineering science laboratory is probably the premier place for any such investigations to be done.
How many lines of code to take to take down a transformer - or hand control to a Chinese satellite? Is this a serious threat?
These things take years to build... we don't build any in the US... Does China build them all? Thanks...
YES big transformers have embedded computers in them.
“How many lines of code to take to take down a transformer”
No code needed. ASIC chips or an FPGA chip can easily be embedded in a circuit with little detection. A simple network sniffer that looks for a key code can do the trick with only a few extra circuits. These backdoor circuits were found in many chips coming from China in defense contracted projects.
It's why people like you ought to have a background in electrical engineering before you speak with authority on subjects you know nothing about.
33-year electrical engineer, 23 years designing wireless/smart metering equipment (electrical, gas, water).
from link:
John DeSimone, vice president of cybersecurity and special missions, Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services, said: ‘Protecting critical infrastructure is no longer a private sector concern, but a national security imperative.
‘We know malicious actors seek to disrupt global economies through attacks on technology systems that keep our lights on, food supplies safe and militaries prepared.
IT guy here who knows a thing or two about hackers.
With all due respect, EE programs weren’t teaching anything about that back in the Disco Era.
So, we could have the equivalent of an EMP attack without the 125 miles above the US nuke explosion? Under those circumstances we wouldn't be sure if the grid going down was an act of war - or a 'accident'?
Since transformers take years to build - and one area going down can trip other areas into going down to protect equipment - does this mean we're screwed? Or do you think we've created systems to get around this type of attack?
Thanks for sharing and explaining...
Our grid is extremely vulnerable infrastructure. Possibly the weakest point in our nation given that there are very few spares for the largest transformers and equipment on hand and they are manufactured in China with a long delivery time. We don’t even have many of the smaller transformers on hand.
There are many of us who have said this for years.
I suppose a deliberate attack by a nefarious state actor is one possibility. Others talk about EMP attacks.
However, the earth has a history of massive solar storms that can seriously upset the grid as well (a natural disaster of sorts). Imagine if one of these happened and knocked out much of the grid around the world. Who would have first dibs on the critical equipment that would need to be replaced to restore widespread electrical service?
It would be the same people who claimed first dibs on PPE, first dibs on medication, etc etc.
This is a very real threat. Imagine 2-4 months without electrical power. It would be catastrophic - especially in densely populated urban centers. We should manufacture these here in the US and we should keep spares on hand and harden others when possible.
Just my .02
Compromise of the insulation would be a most effective way to eliminate a large transformer. Accomplishing this feat by remote command would be a work of art.
“a work of art”
LOL. Tongue firmly in cheek, I’d say. You’re very polite this morning.
ULF as in sending messages to a submarine?
Cai told the newspaper that even if someone accessed the diagnostic data, it was of no import.Well gee, we should have saved all that trouble and just asked Cai.
BTW, is Cai a Chinese name?...just asking.
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