Iranian hackers new challenge, say experts

Mukesh Ranjan

New Delhi, April 3

India’s cyber security grid has now been facing newer challenges from the Middle-East countries, particularly from Iran, as hackers from there have been making attempts to breach strategic online architecture of the country’s government departments, say experts.

According to sources in the India’s cyber security grid, till a few months ago “we were facing challenges from hackers based out in Pakistan and China, but now a new phenomenon has emerged where hackers sitting in Middle East countries, particularly in Iran, are found trying to breach computers of strategic government departments”.

They said that in recent weeks, several government departments, including defence, banking, police, education and telecom, and private IT companies have come under attack by the hackers.

The sources claimed that maximum attacks were noticed in Kerala, as Delhi witnessed fewer cases than the southern state.

Cyber attacks were also reported in Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra, they added.

In view of the emerging threats, officials in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) confirmed that the government has roped in experts from both public and private sectors to deal with the attacks whose sources have been traced back to Middle East, including Iran.

Experts working with cyber security cell of the Government of India termed such attacks “lock and leak” operations by the hackers. In these attacks, the hackers lock down an online system completely by using ransomware, download the sensitive information from the system, and then blackmail the victims, they added.

Max attacks in Kerala

• Experts working with the Indian Government term cyber attacks as ‘lock and leak’ operations by hackers
• Hackers lock down an online system by using ransomware, download sensitive information, and then blackmail the victims
• Maximum attacks in Kerala; Delhi, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana also witnessed cyber attacks