Iranian hackers ‘shut down British power plant for four days’ in unprecedented cyber attack
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Iranian state-linked hackers shut down an unnamed British power plant for four days in what officials describe as the first and most effective cyber attack of its kind on UK energy infrastructure, prompting an investigation by the National Cyber Security Centre and briefings for power industry chief executives. The facility is understood to be a small-scale energy generator, and the Government has maintained throughout that there was no risk to the wider national grid, though security experts said the episode exposed the potential harm a successful attack could inflict on critical infrastructure.
The UK attack coincided with a parallel campaign against US infrastructure, in which suspected Iran-linked hackers breached water utilities across more than a dozen states, including Arkansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Georgia, New Jersey and South Dakota, with over 30 systems compromised in Minnesota alone and a boil-water advisory issued near Atlanta after pressure was disrupted. British officials say critical infrastructure, from schools and the NHS to Jaguar Land Rover's production lines, major retailers and the Electoral Commission, faces thousands of attacks daily from states including Iran, Russia, China and North Korea, with Cabinet Office analysis putting the chance of a serious successful attack on UK infrastructure at between five and 25 per cent. The Government insists Britain's energy system remains "highly resilient" and has been contacted for further comment.
- Iranian hackers knocked out a small UK power plant for four days
- Parallel attacks hit US water utilities across a dozen-plus states
- UK faces thousands of daily cyber attacks on critical infrastructure
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Iranian hackers reportedly disabled a British power plant for four days, in what is being described as a landmark cyber attack on UK critical infrastructure. Attacks of this kind typically target the computer systems that control industrial equipment, rather than stealing data, and can cause real-world disruption such as outages. The alleged perpetrators are described as Iranian hackers, though it is not yet clear whether they are believed to be state-backed or acting independently.
Cyber attacks on power infrastructure are taken particularly seriously because electricity supply underpins hospitals, transport, communications and other essential services, so any prolonged outage has knock-on effects well beyond the site itself. The UK has previously warned about the risk of state or state-linked actors targeting its energy network as part of wider tensions with Iran.
At this stage, key details commonly used to assess incidents like this – such as which power plant was affected, when the outage happened, how it was discovered, and what UK authorities and the energy operator have said in response – are not yet confirmed.
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