According to a study conducted in 2021, the Indian power grid was reportedly attacked by Chinese hackers near the Ladakh border. Also, it is suspected that this could be a continuation of the Chinese cyberwar against the Indian power grid, with the threat of this malware compromising the grid. As per the report from the intelligence company Recorded Future, the alleged cyber campaign against the Indian power grid could be a part of an espionage operation. This attack could be an attempt to retrieve critical data for positioning China for future activities against India.
The Recorded Future report said: “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 is instead likely intended to enable information-gathering surrounding critical infrastructure and/or pre-positioning for future activity.” Additionally, other than the power grid, the hackers have also reportedly compromised a national emergency response system. Also in early 2021, the intelligence company informed that Chinese malware had been found in the Indian power grid, months after the Galwan valley clashes broke out in June 2020.