The government is investigating reports of data breaches involving datasets of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), sources told The Economic Times. He said officials from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In) have been tasked to investigate the situation.
“We are aware of it but need to verify whether the claims being made are true or not. “They (Cert-In) will look into it and submit a detailed report, which will also include whether the data set is new or not,” an official told the newspaper.
“We are aware of some information that is being claimed to have been compromised. CERT-In is currently investigating the claims,” a senior IT ministry official told The Indian Express.
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However, so far, there has been no significant progress in investigating the data breach. The IT ministry did not respond to requests for comments.
Leaked documents on GitHub raise concerns
On Tuesday, a social media user on Platform X accused GitHub of leaking documents of Chinese cyber agencies. The user claimed that these documents include data from EPFO, Indian PMO and various public and private organizations.
Leaked documents circulated on GitHub allegedly reveal a spyware initiative by Chinese infosec company I-Soon, according to reports on Github. The targets of this cyber operation include social media platforms, telecommunication companies and various global organizations. There is suspicion about the involvement of the Chinese government in organizing these activities.
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Cyber security experts are currently investigating the matter to verify the authenticity of the claims. “The tracker created by the attackers claimed to have accessed one of the servers. Apart from the claims, there is no evidence,” an expert told ET.
Estimate of China’s involvement
According to Taiwanese threat intelligence researcher Azaka Sekai, the leaked documents shed light on China’s aggressive cyber operations, revealing I-Sun’s use of spyware.
The alleged document outlines the ability of attackers to target both Android and iOS devices to extract a range of sensitive information, including hardware details, GPS data, contacts, media files and live audio recordings. The famous Chinese manufacturer is said to be using the specific gadget resembling a portable battery to inject targeted Android phones via WiFi signals.
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Specifically, the leaked information identified victims ranging from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences PO) to India’s Apollo Hospitals, as well as various government entities in China’s neighboring countries.
Increasing cyber attacks in India
Recent times have seen a significant increase in cyber attacks on organizations such as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Taj Hotels and state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL).
Furthermore, state-sponsored cyber attacks against India witnessed a 278 percent increase between 2021 and September 2023. A November 2023 report showed that service companies, including IT and business process outsourcing firms, faced the most attacks.
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According to the 2023 India Threat Landscape Report by Singapore-based cyber security firm Cyfirma, India is the most targeted country globally, accounting for 13.7 per cent of all cyber attacks. The United States ranks as the second most targeted country with 9.6 percent of all attacks. This is followed by Indonesia and China, which face 9.3 percent and 4.5 percent attacks, respectively.
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Published: 21 Feb 2024, 01:11 PM IST
