---
title: "Someone Hacked India’s Nuclear Power Plants"
description: "After denying reports of a system malware infection Tuesday, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited admitted that its plants had been hacked."
date: "2019-10-31"
modified: "2019-10-31"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/india-nuclear-power-plants-hacked"
categories:
  - "Energy"
  - "Nuclear Fusion"
  - "Renewable Energy"
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "hackers"
  - "hacking"
  - "india"
  - "malware"
  - "north korea"
  - "nuclear power"
  - "the digest"
---

# Someone Hacked India’s Nuclear Power Plants

![After denying reports of a system malware infection Tuesday, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) admitted that its plants had been hacked.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/officials-india-nuclear-power-plants-hacked.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Reetesh Chaurasia\</em\>*

## Nuclear Option

After [denying](<https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/npcil-accepts-cyber-attack-on-kudankulam/articleshow/71819958.cms>) reports of a system malware infection Tuesday, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) admitted yesterday that it had indeed been hacked.

"Identification of malware in NPCIL system is correct," read a Wednesday [statement](<https://www.scribd.com/document/432675681/NPC-Admission-on-Malware-Attack#download>). "The matter was conveyed by CERT-In \[India's national computer emergency response team\] when it was noticed by them on September 4, 2019."

## Big Hack

The hack represents yet another example of broad infosec vulnerabilities in critical power systems. Hacker groups [have previously infiltrated](<https://futurism.com/cyber-spies-were-able-to-hack-the-power-grid-controls-of-u-s-energy-companies>) power grids in Europe and North America in the past. In 2017, [hackers targeted nuclear facilities](<https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/06/technology/nuclear-plant-hack-report.html>) in the U.S. as well.

"The investigation revealed that the infected PC belonged to a user who was connected in the internet connected network for administrative purposes," the statement read. It also claimed the hack was "isolated from the critical internal network," and that plant systems were not affected.

## North Korean Malware

The malware identified as a version of "Dtrack," which is backdoor trojan software [reportedly developed](<https://www.zdnet.com/article/confirmed-north-korean-malware-found-on-indian-nuclear-plants-network/>) by the Lazarus Group, North Korea's state-owned hacking unit. It was [first discovered](<https://usa.kaspersky.com/about/press-releases/2019_dtrack-previously-unknown-spy-tool-hits-financial-institutions-and-research-centers>) by the Kaspersky Global Research and Analysis Team in September and can be used to upload and download files to target systems.

And there may other targets as well. Threat analyst Pukhraj Singh, who reported the breach to India's National Cyber Security Coordinator, called the malware attack a "casus belli" — an act of war — in an [interview with *Ars Technica*](<https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/10/indian-nuclear-power-company-confirms-north-korean-malware-attack/>) thanks to a still unknown "second target, which I can't disclose as of now."

**READ MORE:** [Indian nuclear power plant’s network was hacked, officials confirm](<https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/10/indian-nuclear-power-company-confirms-north-korean-malware-attack/>) \[*Ars Technica*\]

**More on power grid hacks:** *[A Dangerous Cyberattack On A Petrochemical Plant Could Be The First Of Many](<https://futurism.com/saudi-arabia-cyberattack>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)