US Think-Tank Claims China Attacked Indian Satellite Communications, ISRO Says Systems Never Compromised

China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) a think-tank based in the United States of America, has released a report which claims that China carried out a computer network attack on Indian satellite communications in 2017, reports Times of India.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in response have asserted that its systems have never been compromised till date. However, it also acknowledges that cyber-attacks continue to remain a persistent threat.

“Cyber threats are a given but it cannot be ascertained who are behind such attacks. We’ve systems in place to alert us and I don’t think we’ve ever been compromised. The Chinese may have tried and failed,” a senior scientist said to TOI.

The scientist added that India has an independent network that is isolated and unconnected from the public domain like the internet. This framework has managed to ensure the security of the systems.

ISRO Chairman Kailasavadivoo Sivan echoed the same views. “The threat perception is always there and it’s not unique to India. We are secure,” he is quoted as saying in the report.

CASI’s study reveals multiple cyber-attacks conducted by China from 2012-18. However, it elaborates only the computer strike on Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 2012. That incident allowed China to attain complete functional control over the NASA field center’s network in 2012.

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