Sabotage suspected in widespread Iberian power outage
A mass power outage that affected Spain, Portugal, southern France, and Andorra still has no official cause. Efrén Varón, a cybersecurity specialist, suggests that sabotage might have been involved. The likely culprit is a "cutting of a critical cable".
Efrén Varón, an expert in cybersecurity and technological crime from the company OurenSEC, expressed his views in a media interview regarding the blackout that paralysed parts of Spain. In his opinion, though it's too early for definitive conclusions, sabotage may be the most likely cause. According to him, carrying out a widespread cyber attack targeting multiple countries simultaneously would be extremely difficult due to the multi-level security measures used in the energy infrastructure.
Varón explained that countries like Spain deploy advanced security systems, which include so-called honeypots - fake power plants used to monitor potential attacks and protect actual critical infrastructure.
Each country manages power plants in its own way. Spain has honeypots, which are like fake power plants presented as real, to observe and understand how criminals might attack these installations - explained the expert.
Possible causes and scope of the blackout
Excluding a cyber attack, we are left with various forms of sabotage, such as actions by hacktivists (anti-system individuals, anti-globalisation opponents, climate activists), terrorism, or a natural accident - Varón stated. He finds the incredibly wide territorial scope of the failure particularly puzzling, as it affected the entirety of mainland Spain (excluding the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla), along with neighbouring Portugal, southern France, Andorra, and partly other European countries.
According to the expert, the most important task for the authorities now is to locate the potential point of damage in the critical infrastructure that spans several countries.
The specialist also noted that "European networks are interconnected, but supply does not rely on a single source - you cannot simply turn off one switch and disable all of Europe". In his view, it is likely that the National Centre for Critical Infrastructure (CENTIC) is considering all possible hypotheses regarding the causes of the failure.
Consequences and recommendations for the population
The mass power outage has had serious consequences for millions of people. While hospitals and other key locations are secured by emergency power systems (UPS), the situation is particularly concerning for passengers on trains, public transport, or people trapped in lifts, as in many cases, doors cannot be opened - the expert noted.
In light of the crisis, Varón recommended remaining calm and patient, emphasising that services are working to restore power. He also noted that communication networks were quickly overloaded and suggested: "People should download social apps like Signal or Teams, instead of WhatsApp, to distribute message flow across different channels and prevent network or chat blockages".
The expert emphasised the importance of monitoring how quickly energy supplies can be restored. According to the latest information, services are intensively working on identifying causes and repairing damages to restore the normal functioning of the energy infrastructure in the affected regions as soon as possible.
