{"id":32798,"date":"2019-08-20T07:46:06","date_gmt":"2019-08-19T21:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=32798"},"modified":"2019-08-20T07:46:06","modified_gmt":"2019-08-19T21:16:06","slug":"bluetooth-security-solar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/","title":{"rendered":"New Bluetooth Vulnerability Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Solar Manufacturers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bluetooth<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been reading the tech press this week, you\u2019ve probably noticed there\u2019s a lot of noise about a security vulnerability in Bluetooth, known as \u201cKNOB\u201d, and I thought it gives us the chance to discuss Bluetooth security in the solar business.<\/p>\n

The (extremely juvenile) acronym stands for Key Negotiation of Bluetooth, and the choice of acronym shows that at least some IT security researchers haven\u2019t grown up since the 1990s!<\/p>\n

The name refers to the part of Bluetooth the researchers attacked – the key that\u2019s supposed to protect encrypted Bluetoooth communications. The \u201ckey\u201d in this instance is the password the two Bluetooth devices agree on, so only they can decrypt the communications (for example, between your solar inverter and a data monitoring system).<\/p>\n

When two Bluetooth devices are setting up their communication channel (the \u201cnegotiation\u201d phase), they agree on how long that password is going to be – the longer, the better; but some devices have limited processing power and can\u2019t process very long keys (say, 128 bits long). So the Bluetooth protocol allows two devices to agree that 32 bits is enough.<\/p>\n

The security bug KNOB\u2019s discoverers found is not in a particular device, but in the specification (which means every<\/i> device that follows the spec might be vulnerable), and it\u2019s a beauty: an attacker can force the devices to negotiate a password that\u2019s so weak, they can decrypt the communication in real time.<\/p>\n

As the researchers wrote on their website<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201can attacker is able to the listen, or change the content of, nearby Bluetooth communication, even between devices that have previously been successfully paired.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So yeah, it\u2019s a pretty bad bug if you have, for example, software on your PC or phone that\u2019s sending control signals to your solar inverter – and if there\u2019s a malicious somebody who wants to do you harm, and knows how to exploit the KNOB security vulnerability.<\/p>\n

A “Fat” Standard Is Fertile Ground For Vulnerabilities<\/h2>\n

You could argue you\u2019re unlikely to be attacked, and you\u2019d probably be right, but I also wanted to pick up on a couple of related threads.<\/p>\n

The first is Bluetooth itself. People love the convenience – just pair two devices and they can swap info easily (so long as you\u2019re not trying to send a photo from my Huawei phone to my Acer Chromebook, they refuse to talk to each other), but it doesn\u2019t have a great security record.<\/p>\n

In response to my previous posts about the security of solar kit<\/a>, a reader contacted me privately to remind me you don\u2019t need fancy vulnerabilities on Bluetooth if the product doesn\u2019t ask for strong passwords or if the solar installer leaves the default configuration in place.<\/p>\n

But Bluetooth itself is <\/i>home to a great many vulnerabilities, because the standard is thousands of pages long, making it hard for the people who implement it in chipsets and in software to \u201cget it right\u201d without making mistakes.<\/p>\n

The result, as expert Ben Seri of security outfit Armis told Wired<\/a> last year (discussing another Bluetooth vulnerability called BlueBorne), is:<\/p>\n

\u201cthe complexity means it\u2019s really hard to know how you should use it if you\u2019re a manufacturer\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bluetooth’s security problems go back a long way – it was back in 2004 that Bluetooth was first used<\/a> in a “proof of concept” to spread a virus from one device to another.<\/p>\n

Also, \u201cClass 1\u201d Bluetooth has a range of up to 100 metres, and devices such as solar inverters are often installed on outside walls.<\/p>\n

Really, if you don’t absolutely need Bluetooth on your solar kit, turn it off.<\/p>\n

My other concern is manufacturers in this industry are lagging behind the \u201cbest of the best\u201d, when it comes to disclosing and patching security bugs.<\/p>\n

Over the 20 years since the world started collecting and disseminating IT security information, the networking equipment and software vendor Cisco has become one of the best at responding to security threats. On this dedicated web page<\/a>, the company publishes all new vulnerabilities discovered in its products, warns customers about the severity of the vulnerabilities, and tells them how to get fixes.<\/p>\n

The home solar energy sector falls far short of Cisco\u2019s dedication to customer security – it\u2019s not uncommon for vendors to have no security information on their websites whatever.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s inevitable that inverters, controllers, solar diverters and the like will have security vulnerabilities, and it\u2019s also inevitable that those vulnerabilities will be made public. The only question is whether solar manufacturers are willing to get proactive, try to find the bugs before the \u201cblack hats\u201d do, put patches in place, and find a way to ensure customers implement the patches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve been reading the tech press this week, you\u2019ve probably noticed there\u2019s a lot of noise about a security vulnerability in Bluetooth, known as \u201cKNOB\u201d, and I thought it gives us the chance to discuss Bluetooth security in the solar business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":32806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-inverters","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBluetooth Vulnerability Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Solar Manufacturers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Another serious Bluetooth security flaw was discovered last week. It should serve as a wake-up call to solar device manufacturers. But will it?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Bluetooth Vulnerability Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Solar Manufacturers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Another serious Bluetooth security flaw was discovered last week. It should serve as a wake-up call to solar device manufacturers. But will it?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-08-19T21:16:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/bluetooth-solar.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Richard Chirgwin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Richard Chirgwin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d2e4d6f75c9033945224b9de834d9be6\"},\"headline\":\"New Bluetooth Vulnerability Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Solar Manufacturers\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-08-19T21:16:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":804,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/bluetooth-solar.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Solar Inverters\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/\",\"name\":\"Bluetooth Vulnerability Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Solar Manufacturers\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/bluetooth-solar.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-08-19T21:16:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"Another serious Bluetooth security flaw was discovered last week. It should serve as a wake-up call to solar device manufacturers. But will it?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/bluetooth-solar.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/08\\\/bluetooth-solar.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":628},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/bluetooth-security-solar\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Solar Inverters\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/solar-inverters\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"New Bluetooth Vulnerability Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Solar Manufacturers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SolarQuotes\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/solarquotes\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/au.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/solarquotes\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d2e4d6f75c9033945224b9de834d9be6\",\"name\":\"Richard Chirgwin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c8c88b57f89cd5928211105579c715a4131736eea9b88222359e97824cb5917b?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c8c88b57f89cd5928211105579c715a4131736eea9b88222359e97824cb5917b?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c8c88b57f89cd5928211105579c715a4131736eea9b88222359e97824cb5917b?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Richard Chirgwin\"},\"description\":\"Joining the SolarQuotes blog team in 2019, Richard is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience covering a wide range of technology topics, including electronics, telecommunications, computing, science and solar. When not writing for us, he runs a solar-powered off-grid eco-resort in NSW\u2019s blue mountains. Read Richard's full bio.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/rchirgwin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bluetooth Vulnerability Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Solar Manufacturers","description":"Another serious Bluetooth security flaw was discovered last week. It should serve as a wake-up call to solar device manufacturers. But will it?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"New Bluetooth Vulnerability Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Solar Manufacturers","og_description":"Another serious Bluetooth security flaw was discovered last week. It should serve as a wake-up call to solar device manufacturers. But will it?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2019-08-19T21:16:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/bluetooth-solar.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Richard Chirgwin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@solar_quotes","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/"},"author":{"name":"Richard Chirgwin","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2e4d6f75c9033945224b9de834d9be6"},"headline":"New Bluetooth Vulnerability Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Solar Manufacturers","datePublished":"2019-08-19T21:16:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/"},"wordCount":804,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/bluetooth-solar.jpg","articleSection":["Solar Inverters"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/","name":"Bluetooth Vulnerability Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Solar Manufacturers","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/bluetooth-solar.jpg","datePublished":"2019-08-19T21:16:06+00:00","description":"Another serious Bluetooth security flaw was discovered last week. It should serve as a wake-up call to solar device manufacturers. But will it?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/bluetooth-solar.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/bluetooth-solar.jpg","width":1200,"height":628},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/bluetooth-security-solar\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Solar Inverters","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-inverters\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"New Bluetooth Vulnerability Should Be A Wake-Up Call To Solar Manufacturers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2e4d6f75c9033945224b9de834d9be6","name":"Richard Chirgwin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c8c88b57f89cd5928211105579c715a4131736eea9b88222359e97824cb5917b?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c8c88b57f89cd5928211105579c715a4131736eea9b88222359e97824cb5917b?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c8c88b57f89cd5928211105579c715a4131736eea9b88222359e97824cb5917b?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Richard Chirgwin"},"description":"Joining the SolarQuotes blog team in 2019, Richard is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience covering a wide range of technology topics, including electronics, telecommunications, computing, science and solar. When not writing for us, he runs a solar-powered off-grid eco-resort in NSW\u2019s blue mountains. Read Richard's full bio.","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/rchirgwin\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/bluetooth-solar.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-8x0","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50683,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/electromagnetic-radiation-inverters\/","url_meta":{"origin":32798,"position":0},"title":"Audit Finds Electromagnetic Radiation From Solar Inverters At Safe Levels","author":"Richard Chirgwin","date":"May 31, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"We're so accustomed to seeing electrical products with compliance stickers and certificates, it's a safe bet that most of us barely notice them. So here's a handy reminder that those stickers and certificates matter. Nearly a year ago, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) audited the electromagnetic interference compliance\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Inverters"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Inverters","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-inverters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"paranoid man","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/emf-man.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/emf-man.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/emf-man.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/emf-man.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/emf-man.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57429,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-tracking-species-mb2297\/","url_meta":{"origin":32798,"position":1},"title":"Bushy The Australasian Bittern’s Solar Bling","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"December 31, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Some of the habits of a secretive wetlands bird will soon be revealed with the help of solar power. The Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus) is a member of the heron family. It is listed as Endangered or Vulnerable in the Australian states where it can be found (federally listed as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Australasian Bittern - solar tracking","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/bittern-solar-tracking.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/bittern-solar-tracking.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/bittern-solar-tracking.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/bittern-solar-tracking.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/bittern-solar-tracking.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":76814,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/enphase-patches-its-security-bugs\/","url_meta":{"origin":32798,"position":2},"title":"Enphase Patches Solar System Vulnerabilities: Update Guide","author":"Richard Chirgwin","date":"July 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In June, we wrote about a security vulnerability an anonymous researcher had discovered in Enphase\u2019s solar inverter communications gateway and installer app. As we said in June, the communications gateway bug was the most serious since it would theoretically let an attacker take control of the gateway: \u201cSuccessful exploitation of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"enphase security patch on an ipad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/enphase-security-patch-2023.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/enphase-security-patch-2023.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/enphase-security-patch-2023.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/enphase-security-patch-2023.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/enphase-security-patch-2023.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47912,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-cyber-security\/","url_meta":{"origin":32798,"position":3},"title":"It’s Time For All Solar Manufacturers To Take Cyber Security Seriously","author":"Richard Chirgwin","date":"March 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"With this week's launch of the\u00a0Internet of Things Alliance Australia's (IoTAA) security awareness guides, this seems a good time to remind the solar industry that we're part of the Internet of Things - and so far, we seem to take a pretty relaxed attitude to security. The IoTAA was created\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Inverters"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Inverters","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-inverters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/iot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/iot.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/iot.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/iot.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/iot.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19153,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-inverter-security-hackers\/","url_meta":{"origin":32798,"position":4},"title":"How To Protect Your Solar Inverter From Hackers","author":"Willem Westerhof","date":"February 19, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Note from Finn: Please welcome\u00a0Willem Westerhof to the\u00a0SolarQuotes\u00ae Blog. Willem is a Hacker, Researcher and IT Specialist who is particularly well known around the world for finding cyber-security holes in popular solar inverters. After getting an increasing number of emails from Australians who were concerned at the thought of having\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Inverters"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Inverters","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-inverters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Internet-connected solar inverter security","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/inverter-security.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/inverter-security.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/inverter-security.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/inverter-security.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32180,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-power-system-hacking\/","url_meta":{"origin":32798,"position":5},"title":"Security Jitters: Can They Hack My Solar Power System?","author":"Richard Chirgwin","date":"July 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week\u2019s post about solar inverter security sparked a lot of interest and a few good questions I\u2019d like to answer; starting with one from TJ that reminded me people are justifiably and genuinely worried. TJ asked: \u201cIs it possible for a hack to shut down all the inverters for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Inverters"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Inverters","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-inverters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar power system security and hackers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/solar-hacker.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/solar-hacker.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/solar-hacker.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/solar-hacker.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/solar-hacker.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32798","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32798"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32816,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32798\/revisions\/32816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}