US company identifies Chinese malware targeting Indian power assets

US-based Recorded Future’s Insikt Group has identified Chinese malware RedEcho targeting 10 state-run Indian power generation and transmission assets and two ports, its CEO and co-founder Christopher Ahlberg told mediapersons on Thursday. He, however, said there was no data to substantiate that last year’s Mumbai power outage in October was part of the cyberattack by the China-linked group.

He said the attacks were unusual because of their scale and unsettling as they targeted civilian infrastructure.

The targeted assets include load despatch centres of eastern, north eastern, southern and western regions besides state load despatch centres of Delhi and Telengana. NTPC’s Kudgi power plant in Karnataka, Mumbai Port Trust, V O Chidamabarnar Port and a substation were also targeted, the report alleged.