Files relating to Kudankulam nuclear power plant exposed in data breach: Report

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, located in Tamil Nadu, has reportedly fallen victim to a cyberattack by a ransomware group known as World Leaks. According to a report from Reuters, the hackers have claimed to have access to a significant trove of sensitive documents associated with a Reliance Group subsidiary, with some of these files already surfacing on the dark web. Among the leaked materials are technical blueprints related to various components of the nuclear facility. In a statement, Reliance Group acknowledged that a portion of its data was compromised during this incident, which involved information stored on a server managed by Yotta, an Indian third-party data center provider. The leaked documents are believed to date back to 2016 and extend into mid-2025, although their authenticity remains unverified. Reports suggest that the cache includes engineering designs, supplier details, meeting notes, inspection reports, equipment evaluations, and insurance documents. Alarmingly, World Leaks claims to have uploaded approximately 858,000 files connected to Reliance, with over 19,000 of these containing sensitive information. World Leaks has a history of targeting high-profile companies, including Nike and the Tata Group. Their modus operandi typically involves hacking into corporate systems, stealing data, demanding ransom payments, and threatening to disclose the stolen information online. Earlier in June, they asserted that they had breached the Tata Group and stolen confidential files related to both Apple and Tesla, demanding a ransom of $1.5 million. In light of this latest breach, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) is reportedly engaging with Reliance Group to assess the severity of the situation. Additionally, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has initiated an investigation into the reported breach. It's worth noting that the Kudankulam plant has been linked to previous cyber threats, including a malware incident in 2019 attributed to a North Korean hacking group.