On Thursday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the report had been “noted” by Beijing, but that the country “strongly opposes and combats any type of cyberattacks, and will not promote, support, or condone such cyberattacks.”

“I would advise the company concerned that if they truly care about global cybersecurity, they should pay more attention to US government hackers’ cyberattacks on China and other countries, and do more to promote dialogue and cooperation among countries, rather than using the cyberattack issue to stir up trouble and throw mud at China,” he told reporters.



India has not discussed the problem with China, according to Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Indian External Affairs Ministry.

“We’ve heard rumors. There is a process in place to protect and maintain our essential infrastructure. He stated, “We haven’t raised this problem with China.”

R.K. Singh, India’s power minister, said the study was nothing to worry about

He stated, “We are always prepared.” “We have a very strong security system in place.” We’re always on the lookout.”

In February 2021, the Insikt Group discovered and reported a possible Chinese-sponsored hack of ten Indian power industry companies by a group known as RedEcho. The group has been given the working name of Threat Activity Group 38, or TAG-38, as more information is gathered. The more recent hack “displays targeting and capability consistency” with RedEcho, but there are also “notable distinctions,” so the group has been given the working name of Threat Activity Group 38, or TAG-38.

The Insikt Group resumed tracking hacking efforts on India’s power grid organizations after a brief hiatus following its first report, according to Recorded Future. It identified likely network intrusions targeting at least seven of India’s so-called “State Load Dispatch Centers” between late February and late March, all of which are located near the disputed border in Ladakh, where Chinese and Indian troops clashed in June 2020, killing 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese.

“Recorded Future continues to track Chinese state-sponsored activity groups targeting a wide variety of sectors around the world – the vast majority of this conforms to long-standing cyber espionage efforts, such as targeting foreign governments, surveillance of dissident and minority groups, and economic espionage,” according to the report.



According to a report produced by a private cybersecurity firm based in the United States, India’s electricity sector was targeted by hackers in a long-term operation thought to be carried out by a state-sponsored Chinese gang. TNS photo

According to a report produced by a private cybersecurity firm based in the United States, India’s electricity sector was targeted by hackers in a long-term operation thought to be carried out by a state-sponsored Chinese gang. TNS photo

“However, from our perspective, the coordinated effort to target Indian power grid assets in recent years is significantly different and, given the continuous heightened tensions and border issues between the two countries, we feel is a matter for concern,” it added.

Hackers are likely to have acquired access through hacked third-party internet-connected equipment, such as IP cameras, according to the business.

Investigators have yet to figure out how they were hacked, but Recorded Future speculated that they may have been installed using default credentials, making them vulnerable.

Because the long-term targeting of India’s power grid “offers limited economic espionage or traditional intelligence-gathering opportunities,” Recorded Future believes the goal is more likely to enable information gathering around nearby critical infrastructure systems, or to be pre-positioned for future activity.