Beware of WATERMAIN! Chinese hackers have been trying to steal data from India for the past 4 years

This is something to worry about! A US-based cyber security firm has claimed that a Chinese group has been targeting scientific, educational and diplomatic institutions in India to steal data and information about ongoing border disputes and other diplomatic matters for the past four years.

Some of these cyber attacks were detected as recently as April, just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China in May, reported ET.

According to FireEye’s report, the group behind the operation is most likely based in China. It sent phishing emails containing Microsoft Word attachments to its intended victims.

These documents pertained to regional issues and contained a script called WATERMAIN, which enables access to information on infected machines.

The group also targeted government institutions to steal information through phishing emails, FireEye's report has revealed.

Phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money), often for malicious reasons, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

"Collecting intelligence on India remains a key strategic goal for China-based APT groups, and these attacks on India and its neighbouring countries reflect growing interest in its foreign affairs," said Bryce Boland, FireEye chief technology officer for Asia Pacific.

"Organizations should redouble their cyber security efforts and ensure they can prevent, detect and respond to attacks in order to protect themselves," he added.

(Image: Indiatimes)