Hackers Infiltrate Computers of Indian Navy

PC-hackers have broken into the computer systems of Indian Navy near Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh, India) where the country's Eastern Naval Command is headquartered followed with installing malware that dispatched confidential data to Internet Protocol sources located inside China, reported zdnet.com dated July 2, 2012.

Study results indicate that it was discovered that the naval PCs had been contaminated with a PC-virus, while the INS Arihant the foremost nuclear missile undersea vessel of India was presently getting tested at the site.

Notably, to work, the virus first opened one concealed folder, gathered particular documents and files associated with some "keywords," while continued to hide on the detachable devices till they were plugged inside servers following which the virus silently transmitted content onto particular IP addresses within China.

And albeit there's little convincing evidence that the stolen files were ultimately destined for the said IP addresses, fingers are being pointed at China for trying to spy online.

Answering a query as to whether the virus' data-transmission involved extremely classified data, the Navy stated that one investigation was being conducted whose results were awaited, adding that it required noting that cyber-threat by inimical hackers globally was constantly lurking. Indianexpress.com reported this on July 1, 2012.

Moreover, it's still unclear as to how much the hacking assault mined alternatively whether the virus worked similar to Stuxnet as well as was planted onto the system with the help of a spook in the beginning.

Meanwhile, the investigation's initial findings assert that owing to the incident, there's going to be stringent disciplinary action against 6 officers albeit it's not stated that any from the group may've been behaving malevolently.

Importantly, the Indian Navy maintains confidential databases on single isolated computers that aren't put online. Besides, access points or ports allowing outside storage devices or flash drives are also prohibited.

In the end, it isn't unfamiliar to associate China with security assaults against GOI (government of India). During 2010, the University of Toronto issued one report, which alleged that computer infiltrators from China had gained admission into Indian military computers, a charge the government of China refuted.

Related article: Hackers Attack Using Login Theft Method

» SPAMfighter News - 7/10/2012