The People’s Republic of China (PRC) conducted several attacks on India, targeting power grids in the northern part of the country close to Ladakh.
The country’s government has denied any involvement in the attack that took place last year. However, a new report by cyber security firm Recorded Future reveals new evidence, refuting the claim.
It states that the China-sponsored hackers used Taiwan and South Korea as gateways to facilitate the offensive campaign. In an assault that specifically targeted load State Load Dispatch Centers (SLDCs), the Chinese attackers deployed a cluster of malware called ShadowPad to execute their objectives of disrupting power supply.
The campaign proved unsuccessful as Indian cyber defense systems stopped the hackers from reaching their goal. In reaction to the news, Union Energy Minister R.K. Singh said that the failed attempt revealed why cyber defense remains India’s first line of protection against attacks and where investment by the Indian state has been strong.
Cyber Espionage on India Fails
The targeted location of the campaign suggests that the hackers were probing the system for any weakness that could be exploited. Singh said the attack may have been in preparation for a massive assault on the power grid.
According to Recorded Future, the offensive was intended to enable information gathering surrounding critical infrastructure systems or is pre-positioning for future activity and took a lot of preparation.
Singh further stated that indian decision-makers need to understand that neither the PRC nor Pakistan are likely to divest their intent to carry out offensive action against Critical Infrastructure (CI).
He added that offensive cyber warfare, manifesting itself in the form of recent incidents, will remain an arrow in the quiver of both China and Pakistan. Indeed, their lack of success will spur them (especially the Chinese) to develop more innovative means to target India’s critical infrastructure.
