New Delhi: According to threat intelligence firm, Recorded Future Inc., India’s power sector has been under a cyber attack by “suspected state-sponsored Chinese hackers”.
The report further stated that at least seven “load dispatch” centres located near the India-China border in Ladakh have been under Chinese surveillance for several months.
“In recent months, we observed likely network intrusions targeting at least seven Indian State Load Despatch Centres (SLDCs) responsible for carrying out real-time operations for grid control and electricity dispatch within these respective states. Notably, this targeting has been geographically concentrated, with the identified SLDCs located in North India, in proximity to the disputed India-China border in Ladakh,” Recorded Future said in its report.
Reports suggest that the cyber breach took place from last year August to March.
The firm said that the Indian government has been alerted of their findings before publishing the report.
According to the intelligence firm, the Chinese-sponsored hackers were trying to collect information surrounding critical infrastructure systems.
Union Power Minister RK Singh on Thursday confirmed that Chinese hackers targeted electricity distribution centres twice near Ladakh but said they were “not successful”.
Reacting to a report that Chinese state-sponsored hackers targeted the electricity centres near Ladakh in the recent months, Singh said the country had already strengthened the defence system to counter such attacks
Two attempts by Chinese hackers were made to target electricity distribution centres near Ladakh but were not successful… We’ve already strengthened our defence system to counter such cyber attacks: RK Singh, Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy pic.twitter.com/9kue4NCsjF
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India and China have long disputed their vast 3,500-km-long frontier and fought a brief border war in Arunachal Pradesh in 1962.