Chinese hackers target India’s power grid near Ladakh, collect intelligence from North Indian centers

The prolonged targeting of Indian power grid assets by Chinese state-linked groups offers limited economic espionage or traditional intelligence-gathering opportunities

The prolonged targeting of Indian power grid assets by Chinese state-linked groups offers limited economic espionage or traditional intelligence-gathering opportunities
The prolonged targeting of Indian power grid assets by Chinese state-linked groups offers limited economic espionage or traditional intelligence-gathering opportunities

China state hackers targeted the power grid near Ladakh, emergency response system

According to the reports by the US-based cyber security company Recorded Future Incthe suspected state-sponsored Chinese hackers targeted the power sector in India in recent months as part of an apparent cyber-espionage campaign for apparently collecting intelligence information.

The report said that the hackers focused on seven load dispatch centres in northern India that are responsible for carrying out real-time operations for grid control and electricity dispersal in areas located near the India-China border in Ladakh.

Earlier in February 2021, a China-linked threat activity group, RedEcho, targeted one of the load dispatch centres.

According to the report, released on Wednesday, the hackers have focused on Indian electricity dispatch centres near Ladakh, which could be a flashpoint following a military standoff between the two countries in the region.

“The prolonged targeting of Indian power grid assets by Chinese state-linked groups offers limited economic espionage or traditional intelligence gathering opportunities,” the Recorded Future report states.

“We believe this is instead likely intended to enable information-gathering surrounding critical infrastructure and/ or pre-positioning for future activity,” it said.

Additionally, the hackers compromised an Indian national emergency response system and a subsidiary of a multinational logistics company, the report stated. “In addition to the targeting of power grid assets, we also identified the compromise of a national emergency response system and the Indian subsidiary of a multinational logistics company by the same threat activity group,” it said.

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