Key points
- US Department of Transportation warns of rogue devices found in solar-powered highway infrastructure.
- Undocumented cellular radios discovered in foreign-manufactured inverters and battery management systems.
- Concerns center on potential remote tampering and data theft orchestrated from Beijing.
- The advisory urges the inventorying, scanning, and disabling of unauthorized communication devices.
The United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has issued a stark warning regarding the security of America’s highway infrastructure. A recently released advisory reveals the discovery of undocumented cellular radios hidden within foreign-manufactured inverters and battery management systems (BMS) used to power a range of solar-powered highway equipment.
This includes vital components such as traffic cameras, weather stations, electric vehicle chargers, and roadside signage. The advisory, obtained by Reuters, underscores escalating concerns over the potential for Chinese technology to compromise critical infrastructure.
The FHWA’s four-page security note highlights the risk of remote tampering and data theft. The presence of these clandestine communication components raises fears that these devices could be remotely activated or controlled, potentially leading to widespread outages or the surreptitious extraction of sensitive data.
While the advisory does not explicitly name the country of origin, many inverters and BMS are manufactured in China, fueling suspicions of deliberate espionage.
This latest development follows earlier reports from American energy officials and Green Power Denmark, both of which uncovered similar instances of undocumented electronic components in imported equipment. The increasing frequency of such findings has prompted a comprehensive review and subsequent security measures.
The FHWA advisory strongly recommends a thorough inventory of inverters across the national highway system, employing spectrum analysis technology to detect any unauthorized communication signals. Any identified rogue devices are to be disabled or removed, and network segmentation protocols should be implemented to minimize the risk of widespread compromise.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington has responded to these accusations by rejecting claims of malicious intent, denouncing the alleged “distortion and smear” of China’s energy infrastructure achievements. However, the US government’s response reflects a broader strategy aimed at limiting Chinese influence in sensitive sectors.
This intensified scrutiny is not limited to highway infrastructure; concerns have also been raised over Chinese-made automobiles and their potential for data collection during autonomous vehicle testing within the United States. This broader concern culminated in January with the Commerce Department finalizing rules effectively barring most Chinese vehicles from the US market by late 2026.
