US think-tank report says China mounted multiple cyber attacks on Indian systems
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief Shri K Sivan has said Indian Indian space systems are “safe and secure” and the space agency is capable to meet any challenge posed by external threats. “The threat perception is always there and it’s not unique to India. We are secure,” he told TOI. Reacting to the US-based China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) report which suggested that China had mounted an attack against Indian satellite communications in 2017 through computer networks. According to Shri Sivan India has an independent and isolated network that is not connected to the public domain, which makes it safe.
Other scientists also pointed out that there might have been external attacks and ISRO is fully equipped to meet the challenge. “Cyber threats are a given but it cannot be ascertained who are behind such attacks. We have systems in place to alert us and I don’t think we have ever been compromised. The Chinese may have tried and failed,” said a senior scientist associated with the space agency.
According to media reports, China had carried out multiple cyber attacks between 2012 and 2018. The CASI report says the Chinese mounted cyber attack against India’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
ISRO has been a target of attacks by rival space agencies and countries inimical to India. It is a well-known fact that a fake spy case was foisted against a top ISRO scientist to defeat India’s cryogenic research. The controversy had adversely affected India’s progress in the research for some time.
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