Chinese Analyst Warns India of Revenge Cyber Attack, Accuses New Delhi of Dancing to US’ Tune

Chinese tech groups claim they have detected active hacking teams from Delhi carrying out cyberattacks against government agencies and defence departments in China and Pakistan. There has been no immediate comment from the Indian government on the allegation.

Describing India as the "new destroyer of regional cyber stability," China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has urged the international community to stop New Delhi from launching rampant cyber-attack against neighbouring countries.

An opinion piece published in China Military, the PLA's official English-language website, has claimed that "unscrupulous cyber-attacks" by India will create major hurdles for future cyber-security cooperation of international organisations such as BRICS.

"India claims to be a country of cyber democracy and has been dancing to America's tune in cybersecurity... Its cyber-attacks on neighbouring countries may court revenge, which it is obviously not capable enough to fend off," Lu Chuanying, a senior research fellow at Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, underlined.

Lu has dubbed the growing cooperation between members of Quad – India, Japan, the US, and Australia – as an attempt to "weave a cyber-security encirclement around China."

"India has recently strengthened its interactions with the US, the chief online eavesdropper, in the field of cybersecurity and pointed its guns at China, which makes people wonder whether it has stooped to being America's page boy in global cyber surveillance," Lu underscored.

Blaming the US for "wantonly militarising cyberspace," Lu warned that threats will increase as more countries follow US policy and develop offensive cyber forces.

On 20 November, Global Times published a report citing Antiy Labs, one of China's renowned cyber-security companies, claiming that the firm detected rampant cyber-attacks on the government, military, and defence departments of South Asian countries.

The firm suspect the hacker group is from India. In the first week of November, an expert from the 360 Security Technology told Global Times that an Indian hacking group called Evil Flower engaged in phishing activities and cyber-attacks targeting "government, defence, and military units, as well as state-owned enterprises in China, Pakistan, and Nepal."

Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson from China's Foreign Ministry, said at the press brief on 2 November that China opposes all forms of cyberattacks.

India has yet to respond to China's allegation; however, it has blamed Beijing for launching cyber-attacks against military installations in the past.