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Rabat — Two pro-Russian cyber “hacktivist” groups, Dark Storm Team and NoName057, have claimed responsibility for the major power outage that hit Spain and Portugal on Monday.
The “The Dark Storm” group took to X to claim joint responsibility for the major blackout that hit Spain and Portugal: “Today [Monday], we and the NoName057 team succeeded in cutting off the electricity in some NATO countries.” They also posted a cryptic photo with a list of Portuguese ministries’ URLs.
Spain’s National Cybersecurity Office has previously denied any cyber attack behind the electricity outage in Spain, but this new development sparks alarm. If it is proven that the blackout was directly caused by the cyberattack, it could be one of the biggest attacks on civilian sites in Europe.
Spain’s official authorities deny it was a cyberattack
Despite the heightened alarm with the hackers’ message, the first assessment of the blackout that hit Spain and Portugal detailed that there was no cyber attack behind the major power outage. Spanish electricity grid operator REE (REDE.MC) had reportedly ruled out a cybersecurity breach as the reason behind Spain’s power outage.
In a news briefing, REE’s System Operations Chief Eduardo Prieto said his country’s electricity system received a massive blow, resulting in generation loss in southwestern Spain.
The blackout led to instability in Spain’s system, causing it to be disconnected from the French grid. He cautiously further informed that the outage was probably due to a solar generator being affected.
Meanwhile, Spain’s High Court said that despite this, it is closely investigating the power outage to find out whether it was due to a potential terrorist strike. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez noted his government had not ruled out any hypothesis.
“We must not rush to (conclusions) and (commit) errors through haste,” Sanchez noted today, adding that his government will investigate the matter to unveil the cause of “what happened in those five seconds.”
What happens if this was a cyber attack?
The hacktivists’ post on X triggers several questions. The expression “cutting off the electricity in some NATO countries” could mean that, if proven, the attack could be part of a larger vision targeting NATO countries through cyber attacks.
If Spain’s High Court’s investigation leads to proving the power outage is due to an orchestrated cyber attack by pro-Russian hacktivists, then a cyber war may be looming.
What exactly happened during the blackout?
What is now being coined as one of the worst total blackouts in Europe’s recent history, the power outage caused instability in the two European countries.
The massive power blackout led to paralyzing flight schedules, distorted metro systems, disrupted mobile communications, and shut down ATMs across the Iberian Peninsula on Monday.
According to the country’s electricity operator Red Eléctrica, Spain restored more than 99% of its electricity demands by 7 a.m. local time today.
Meanwhile, all 89 power substations were back online and power had been restored to all 6.4 million customers by Monday night, allowing for vital services to go back to life, the Portuguese grid operator REN said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez thanked both France and Morocco for their vital role in his country’s electricity restoration following the massive, unprecedented power blackout.
Morocco’s telecommunication provider Orange was also affected by the electricity outage, affecting people’s connectivity throughout the North African country as well.
