Spain and Portugal have largely recovered from a massive blackout that left millions without power for up to 20 hours, with authorities ruling out a cyberattack as the cause. The outage, which began on Monday afternoon, disrupted telephone, internet services, and transportation, but by Tuesday, services were gradually restored, and life began to return to normal for the affected populations.
Despite widespread speculation on social media about potential cyberattacks or unusual atmospheric phenomena, officials from both countries have dismissed these claims. Eduardo Prieto, director of operations at Spanish grid operator Red Electrica (REE), confirmed that there was no evidence of a cybersecurity incident or intrusion into their control systems. Similarly, Portuguese government spokesman Antonio Leitao Amaro stated that preliminary analyses showed no signs of a cyberattack or hostile action.
In response to the incident, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the formation of a commission to investigate the causes of the blackout, emphasizing the importance of preventing future occurrences. Meanwhile, Spain's top criminal court, the Audiencia Nacional, has opened a separate probe to explore whether the outage could have been an act of sabotage on critical infrastructure, potentially classified as a terrorism offense. However, no concrete evidence has been presented to support this theory.
As the Iberian Peninsula moves past this disruptive event, the focus now shifts to uncovering the root cause of the blackout and implementing measures to safeguard against similar incidents. The swift dismissal of cyberattack theories by authorities has provided some reassurance, but the lack of a definitive explanation leaves room for further investigation and speculation among the public and experts alike.
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