A widespread blackout struck Spain and Portugal on Monday, April 28, disrupting life for 50 million people across the Iberian Peninsula. The outage halted subway systems, knocked out phone services, disabled traffic lights, and shut down ATMs. Spanish power distributor Red Eléctrica estimated that restoring electricity could take 6-10 hours.
The blackout has sparked fears of a possible cyberattack, a threat long warned about by international security experts due to its potential as a weapon of war. European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, a former Spanish minister, cautioned that no evidence currently points to sabotage or a cyberattack. “We are investigating with utmost caution to determine the specific causes of this incident, one of the most serious in Europe in recent times,” Ribera said.
Portuguese Presidency Minister António Leitão Amaro suggested the issue stemmed from a problem in Spain’s power transportation network, though details remain unclear. Spain’s vocal opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza and its support for Ukraine against Russia have made it a prime target for cyberattacks. Spain’s Joint Cyberspace Command and National Cryptologic Center are investigating the outage.
Speculation about a cyberattack persists, as power grids connected to the internet are vulnerable to hackers who could remotely manipulate systems and cause widespread chaos. A Prysmian Magazine blog highlighted the devastating impact of such attacks, noting that without electricity, “there would be no light, running water, telephone signal, internet, heating, or air conditioning,” and transportation and communication systems would collapse.
The blackout has sparked fears of a possible cyberattack, a threat long warned about by international security experts due to its potential as a weapon of war. European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, a former Spanish minister, cautioned that no evidence currently points to sabotage or a cyberattack. “We are investigating with utmost caution to determine the specific causes of this incident, one of the most serious in Europe in recent times,” Ribera said.
🚨🔥🚨Half of Europe is without electricity. Power production from nuclear power plants has been curtailed.
— ManicPapa (Jeff Nusser) (@manic_papa) April 28, 2025
The reason is a large-scale cyber attack on the control panels of the unified energy system🚨🔥🚨 pic.twitter.com/Sm8jytLG8G
⚡ Massive Blackout Hits Europe! ⚡
— CryptOwNagru (@nagruop) April 28, 2025
🇫🇷 France, 🇪🇸 Spain, and 🇵🇹 Portugal are in the dark due to a cyberattack!
Electric grids down
Services stopped (no backup, no power!)
Stay safe, everyone! 🕯️ #EuropeBlackout #CyberAttack pic.twitter.com/ll53mmxVZz
Portuguese Presidency Minister António Leitão Amaro suggested the issue stemmed from a problem in Spain’s power transportation network, though details remain unclear. Spain’s vocal opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza and its support for Ukraine against Russia have made it a prime target for cyberattacks. Spain’s Joint Cyberspace Command and National Cryptologic Center are investigating the outage.
Speculation about a cyberattack persists, as power grids connected to the internet are vulnerable to hackers who could remotely manipulate systems and cause widespread chaos. A Prysmian Magazine blog highlighted the devastating impact of such attacks, noting that without electricity, “there would be no light, running water, telephone signal, internet, heating, or air conditioning,” and transportation and communication systems would collapse.
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