People's liberation army, Armed force

Chinese state-sponsored hackers had targeted India's power grids in Ladakh possibly for information on India's critical infrastructure or to prepare for sabotage in the future, according to the American cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.This report, released earlier this month, details a campaign conducted by a likely Chinese state-sponsored threat activity group targeting the Indian power sector.The activity was identified through a combination of large-scale automated network traffic analytics and expert analysis. According to the report, this targeting is likely a long-term strategic priority for select Chinese state-sponsored threat actors active within India.The prolonged targeting of Indian power grid assets by Chinese state-linked groups offers limited economic espionage or traditional intelligence-gathering opportunities."We believe this targeting is instead likely intended to enable information-gathering surrounding critical infrastructure systems or is pre-positioning for future activity," the report said.The objective for intrusions may include gaining an increased understanding of these complex systems in order to facilitate capability development for future use or gaining sufficient access across the system in preparation for future contingency operations.In February 2021, Recorded Future's Insikt Group reported on intrusion activity targeting operational assets within India's power grid that it attributed to a likely Chinese state-sponsored threat activity group.Following a short lull after the publication of RedEcho reporting, the American firm detected ongoing targeting of Indian power grid organizations by China-linked adversaries, frequently using the privately shared modular backdoor ShadowPad. ShadowPad continues to be employed by an ever-increasing number of People's Liberation Army (PLA) and Ministry of State Security (MSS)-linked groups, with its origins linked to known MSS contractors first using the tool in their own operations and later likely acting as a digital quartermaster.In recent months, the American firm 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. One of these SLDCs was also targeted in previous RedEcho activity.According to the report, this latest set of intrusions, however, is composed of an almost entirely different set of victim organizations. In addition to the targeting of power grid assets, also identified the compromise of a national emergency response system and the Indian subsidiary of a multinational logistics company by the same threat activity group."To achieve this, the group likely compromised and co-opted internet-facing DVR/IP camera devices for command and control (C2) of Shadowpad malware infections, as well as use of the open source tool FastReverseProxy (FRP)," the report said.Despite a partial troop disengagement between India and China from February 2021, the prolonged targeting of Indian critical infrastructure continues to raise concerns over pre-positioning activity being conducted by Chinese adversaries.While this latest activity displays targeting and capability consistencies with previously identified RedEcho activity, there are also some notable distinctions, the report added.( With inputs from ANI )Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

People's Liberation ArmyFOLLOW

People's liberation army, Latest News

China on Wednesday announced military drills around Taiwan, days after US President Joe Biden said Washington would intervene militarily if Beijing tried to reunify with the island by force. ...

The joint Russia-China military drills were conducted near Taiwan at the time when US President Joe Biden was in Tokyo for Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or the Quad summit. ...

New Delhi, May 23: An unprecedented and explosive audio leak of a top-secret meeting of the Peoples Liberation Army ... ...

The seemingly interminable Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought renewed attention to another long-brewing geopolitical crisis as Xi Jinping has stated in no uncertain terms China's determination to 'reunify' with Taiwan, calling it a renegade regi ...

The Chinese army on Wednesday slammed the transit of USS Sampson guided-missile destroyer through the Taiwan Strait. ...

New Delhi, April 25 The recent growth of People's Liberation Army Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from ... ...

China has inducted three new warships into its People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ahead of its 73rd founding anniversary on Saturday. ...

Chinese state-sponsored hackers had targeted India's power grids in Ladakh possibly for information on India's critical infrastructure or to prepare for sabotage in the future, according to the American cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. ...