Kill switch in Chinese solar inverters

[igor_kavinski]

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/ghost-machine-rogue-communication-devices-found-chinese-inverters-2025-05-14/

This is precisely why China is an evil country, much like russia, north korea and israel.

The Chinese apologists on these forums? SHUT THE F UP!

 

[brycejones]

Are the Chinese apologists in the room with you?

 

[igor_kavinski]

Are the Chinese apologists in the room with you?

No, they crop up eventually saying stupid stuff like "Not all Chinese are bad". Well, it's your damn country so shut the F up!

 

[mikeymikec]

Ok, so Indus hates all Muslims, igor hates all Chinese people, the few resident MAGA fanatics here have the non-whites, women and LGBTQ+ covered. Who else do we need that when their powers are combined, they hate everyone on the planet?

 

[igor_kavinski]

igor hates all Chinese people

No. Just the stupid apologists who come up with excuses for their toxic government's actions.

 

[sdifox]

This sounds alarmist. How does a unregistered device connect to cellular network? Roaming devices stand out like a sore thumb.

I am no expert so please explain it like to a five year old.

 

[igor_kavinski]

This sounds alarmist. How does a unregistered device connect to cellular network? Roaming devices stand out like a sore thumb.

The rogue components provide additional, undocumented communication channels that could allow firewalls to be circumvented remotely, with potentially catastrophic consequences, the two people said.

Even if the devices are useless, the fact that they EXIST and the Chinese didn't declare their presence in the equipment they sold, is reason enough to be concerned. A LOT.

 

[sdifox]

Even if the devices are useless, the fact that they EXIST and the Chinese didn't declare their presence in the equipment they sold, is reason enough to be concerned. A LOT.

Or they are generic enough that it is not a concern. If you are concerned, don't buy from them. Almost everything they sell has connectivity built in and not declared. More likely due to negligence than anything else. I have run into robot vacuums with their own hotspot and they pick a channel by themselves, so you need to relocate your own wi-fi channel to improve SNR. Nothing in the documentation mentions them.


And this is from someone who detests CPC.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I have run into robot vacuums with their own hotspot and they pick a channel by themselves, so you need to relocate your own wi-fi channel to improve SNR.

You should've called up their support team and given them hell for forcing you to mess with your wifi settings.

 

[sdifox]

You should've called up their support team and given them hell for forcing you to mess with your wifi settings.

LoL it wasn't even mine, it was my brother's. I went over, fired up wifi analyzer, changed his wi-fi channel, done.

 

[biostud]

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/ghost-machine-rogue-communication-devices-found-chinese-inverters-2025-05-14/

This is precisely why China is an evil country, much like russia, north korea and israel.

The Chinese apologists on these forums? SHUT THE F UP!

Hence the reason EU doesn't want Huawei in their telecommunications and Chinese companies in other critical infrastructure. We would really like US as our trusted ally, but you are making it really hard atm...

 

[WelshBloke]

"Kill switch fitted by China" is a powerful narrative but I'd suspect that its normal to have a way to shut these panels down remotely. Having a guy go and have to physically flip a switch would be weird.

 

[sdifox]

Ok, so Indus hates all Muslims, igor hates all Chinese people, the few resident MAGA fanatics here have the non-whites, women and LGBTQ+ covered. Who else do we need that when their powers are combined, they hate everyone on the planet?

I am a equal opportunity hater. I hate everyone.

 

[biostud]

"Kill switch fitted by China" is a powerful narrative but I'd suspect that its normal to have a way to shut these panels down remotely. Having a guy go and have to physically flip a switch would be weird.

Sure, but are these documented kill switches for shutting down a faulty panel, or something nefarious hidden in away for prying eyes...

 

[igor_kavinski]

We would really like US as our trusted ally, but you are making it really hard atm...

I'm not American

 

[igor_kavinski]

LoL it wasn't even mine, it was my brother's. I went over, fired up wifi analyzer, changed his wi-fi channel, done.

You are not thinking of the poor souls who don't know how to do that or why they would even need to do it and then suffer bad wifi performance.

 

[sdifox]

You are not thinking of the poor souls who don't know how to do that or why they would even need to do it and then suffer bad wifi performance.

Their own fault for buying Chinese stuff. A lot of devices have hotspot for setup purpose.

 

[outriding]

This sounds alarmist. How does a unregistered device connect to cellular network? Roaming devices stand out like a sore thumb.

I am no expert so please explain it like to a five year old.

My guess they have an app that connects to the cloud ( people will need to add them to their WiFi). So people can get stats on the performance of the panels and etc

 

[FelixDeCat]

The threat we face from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is real and growing. Whether it's telecom hacks or remotely accessing solar and battery inverters, the CCP stops at nothing to target our sensitive infrastructure and components.

 

[mikeymikec]

I am a equal opportunity hater. I hate everyone.

Sounds suspiciously like "all lives matter" to me and we've already got MAGA here, so better luck next year!

 

[Indus]

Ok, so Indus hates all Muslims, igor hates all Chinese people, the few resident MAGA fanatics here have the non-whites, women and LGBTQ+ covered. Who else do we need that when their powers are combined, they hate everyone on the planet?

My powers don't combine well with MAGA.

But you forgot Felix.. he hates overpopulation on the planet as well..

 

[sdifox]

Sounds suspiciously like "all lives matter" to me and we've already got MAGA here, so better luck next year!

You need to recognize jokes

 

[igor_kavinski]

But you forgot Felix.. he hates overpopulation on the planet as well..

He is not entirely wrong. Unless we have a good idea of what we are going to do with the extra people, there needs to be a limit and people need to be sensitive about what having more than three or four children will do to society. Everyone competes for finite resources which breeds resentment and hate because naturally people will make groups and start hating the other groups in such competitions for resources. Then fraud, cheating and corruption will naturally step in.

 

[kage69]

*tsk tsk* How "chauvinistic" of you, Igor.

I'm so disappointed, I mean really.

*cough*

 

[MtnMan]

Gee! A country sabotaging a technology with a kill switch or self-destruct? Certainly something the US would never do to a foreign countries technologies, such as centrifuges used in a refining process.