From 12:00 on April 28, a electric blackout of large flows hit thousands of citizens throughout the Spain continental in Portugalsaving only the islands, and in vast areas of the France. The interruptions paralyzed infrastructures, communications, railway stations, airports, shops and public buildings. The hospitals managed to maintain the operation thanks to the use of emergency generators.
The causes of blackout they still remain unknown. Spanish and Portuguese governments have started technical investigations through several ministries, without excluding the hypothesis of a computer attack. Red Eléctricthe body responsible for the electricity network in Spain, is at work from the first reports to restore the service. The National Institute for Computer Safety (Incibe) is also analyzing the event to check for any cyberattacchieven without having reached, so far, definitive conclusions.
The third vice -president of the Spanish government, Sara Aagesenwent to the Red Eléctric control center to directly monitor the situation. Redeiathe company that manages the network, has activated restoration plans in collaboration with companies in the sector, as communicated through the Social Network X, specifying that “all resources are committed to resolving the accident”.
The blackout, which occurred shortly after noon, affected all the Spanish autonomous communities and Portugal. In some areas the electrical disbursement has been partially restored, but new interruptions have quickly occurred. The main electrical companies, asked by El País, They have not yet provided official explanations. The islands Canary and the Balearic They have not been involved thanks to their autonomous structure: the canaries have six isolated systems, while the Balearics are connected both internally and on the peninsula via a submarine cable.
The Blackout had significant repercussions: interruptions in communication systems, in high -speed rail transport, traffic lights and shopping centers. In Portugal, the failure paralyzed airports and telecommunications networks. Red Eléctric NacionaHe confirmed that the disservice is widespread throughout the territory and that checks are underway to identify their causes. The Spanish railway network Adif recorded voltage drops that blocked the circulation of trains, while at the Madrid-Barajas airport and in other airports Blackout occurred which caused delays and inconveniences. In Portugal, the subway and trains also remained still, while the hospitals remained operational thanks to the generators. In Madrid, The underground and suburban trains service was suspended for “external causes” related to the lack of energy, as reported via social media. Despite the difficulties, the Spanish bag (BME) and the National Commission of the Value Market (CNMV) confirm that market operations are taking place regularly, although some financial institutions complain of connectivity problems that could influence customer services. Who could have been? The Russian hacker group considered among the more dangerous And Sandworm (also known as Unit 74455 of the crane, the Russian military intelligence service). Sandworm is responsible for some of the cyber-operations More destructive ever seen, including: the attack on the Ukrainian electrical network in 2015 and 2016 (the first blackouts caused by hacker), the release of the malware Notpetya In 2017, which caused global economic damage for about $ 10 billion and computer sabotage operations and disinformation during events such as the 2016 American presidential elections.
Other very feared Russian groups are Apt28 (Fancy Bear) – also linked to the crane, specialized in political and military espionage and theApt29 (Cozy Bear)-linked to the SVR (another Russian intelligence agency), known for very sophisticated and silent attacks, such as those against US government bodies and Covid-19 vaccination campaigns. Sandwormhowever, stands out for the destructive nature of his operations: not only steals information, but openly aims to damage critical infrastructures.
