Suspected Chinese hackers attacked Indian power grids near Ladakh

Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy RK Singh said that Chinese state-sponsored hackers have made two attempts to bring down Indian electricity distribution centres near Ladakh in the last eight months.

In addition, the hackers compromised an Indian national emergency response system and a subsidiary of a multinational logistics company. The method the attackers used to make the intrusions -- using compromised internet of things devices and cameras – was unusual. The devices used to launch the intrusions were based in South Korea and Taiwan.

The hacking group, named TAG-38, used malicious software ‘ShadowPad’ which was associated with China’s People’s Liberation Army and the Ministry of State Security. The report said that Chinese state-sponsored hackers targeted Indian electricity distribution centres near Ladakh over the last eight months.

The report further added, “In recent months, we observed likely network intrusions targeting at least 7 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.”

However, the government informed that these attempts were unsuccessful and that it has improved the country’s defenses to counter such cyber-attacks.

The power minister also said that India will soon invite bids for 2,000 MW offshore wind energy projects. “Our journey is incomplete without offshore wind energy. We will bring bids for 1,000 MW in Gujarat and after that 1,000 MW in Tamil Nadu,” he said.