Iran-linked hackers disabled UK power plant for four days, Telegraph reports

LONDON — Hackers linked to Iran breached an electricity generation plant in the United Kingdom and took the facility offline for four days, according to the Telegraph. The newspaper described the operation as the first case in which Iran-linked hackers infiltrated a critical energy facility on British soil and disrupted its operations in a coordinated manner. British government officials declined to name the targeted plant or disclose its location, citing national security grounds. The plant is believed to be relatively small in capacity, and the outage did not affect the country's national energy grid. The attack coincided with a July cyber campaign in the United States that hit water infrastructure across 12 states and prompted broad concern at the White House. Following the incident, the British government held briefing sessions with senior executives of energy companies, during which it issued strict security instructions and recommendations for protecting critical infrastructure. No further details on the plant, the operators or the investigation were immediately available.