Increase cyber attacks from hackers in India’s power industry

India’s power sector is facing cyber attacks, with at least 30 events reported daily, said people aware of the development on condition of anonymity.

A majority of the attacks originate from China, Singapore, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. As such, there are growing concerns that the country’s power infrastructure could be the next target of terrorists looking to cripple India’s economy.

Some high- profile cyber attacks include the November 2017 malware attack on THDC Ltd’s Tehri dam in Uttarakhand, the May 2017 ransom ware attack on West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd (WBSEDCL), the February 2018 attack on a Rajasthan discoms website, and the March 2018 attack on Haryana discoms in which the commercial billing software of the highest paying industrial customers was hacked, according to information reviewed by Mint. The National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre also reported several vulnerabilities in the power utilities of states in May 2018.

Ransom ware typically logs users out of their own systems and asks them to pay a ransom if they want to access the encrypted data.

India faced massive power transmission failures in July 2012, which left around 700 million people without electricity.

“Tehri’s computer was attached to the power grid’s computer. The threat was eliminated as there was an air gap. If the attack was successful it could have even opened the doors of the dam,” said a senior government official.

The issue has assumed greater importance as the country now has an integrated national power grid, with south India joining the national electricity grid in January 2014.

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