Chinese hackers' bid to target India's power system near Ladakh blocked: Centre
According to a report by threat intelligence firm Recorded Future Inc, suspected state-sponsored Chinese hackers targeted the seven ‘load dispatch centres’ in northern India which are responsible for carrying out operations for grid control and power distribution in the areas near Ladakh.
Union power minister RK Singh on Thursday said that the attempts by Chinese hackers to target electricity distribution centres near Ladakh were successfully blocked. “Two attempts by Chinese hackers were made to target electricity distribution centres near Ladakh but were not successful,” the minister said in response to media reports claiming a cyber attack on the power grid near Ladakh between August and March.
"We have already strengthened our defence system to counter such cyber attacks," he said. Suspected state-sponsored Chinese hackers targeted the power sector in India as part of a cyber-espionage campaign, Bloomberg quoted threat intelligence firm Recorded Future Inc.
According to reports, the hackers had set their eyes on seven ‘load dispatch’ centres in northern India which are responsible for carrying out real-time operations for grid control and power distribution in the areas near the Indo-China border in Ladakh.
The report claims that one of the load dispatch centres was at the crosshairs of a hacking group called RedEcho which allegedly shares ‘overlaps’ with a hacking group that the United States has tied to the Chinese government.
Earlier, Hindustan Times had reported that a massive power outage was averted in eight states including Punjab and Himachal Pradesh after the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) had alerted the respective governments about a Chinese cyber attack. Between last week of February and the first week of March, Chinese hackers had targeted ten entities in power sectors in these states.
The attack by Chinese hackers come at a time when the Indian Army and the Indian Air Forces are continuously assessing the infrastructure and preparedness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), with the armed forces of India and China remain in a standoff position in eastern Ladakh.
