Archive · 18 Jul 2026
Kudankulam Nuclear Plant Faces Data Breach
The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in India has had a data breach where important documents were leaked on the dark web by a group called World Leaks.
The plant's operators say the leaked information is not about the most important parts of the plant, so it's not dangerous.
This isn't the first time the plant has had a problem like this.
In 2019, a group from North Korea used tricky emails to get into the plant's computer system.
They wanted to learn about India's special nuclear technology.
Even though the plant has strong security, these incidents show that even high-security places can be at risk from hackers.
A data breach at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant exposed non-critical facility information on the dark web.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) claims the leaked documents pose no risk to nuclear safety.
In 2019, the plant was targeted by North Korea-backed Lazarus Group using DTrack malware.
The 2019 attack aimed to steal information on India's thorium-based nuclear power technology.
Both incidents highlight persistent cybersecurity risks to India's critical infrastructure.
- Who
- Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), ransomware group World Leaks, North Korea-backed Lazarus Group
- What
- Data breach exposing non-critical facility information and a 2019 malware attack targeting thorium information
- When
- Current breach: nearly a month before the report; 2019 breach: detected on September 4, 2019, and made public on October 28, 2019
- Where
- Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district, India
- Why
- To expose sensitive information and potentially steal thorium-based nuclear power technology details
- Location
- Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India
- Operator
- Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL)
- Leaked Data
- Engineering drawings, inspection records, meeting minutes, technical reports, official correspondence
- Ransomware Group
- World Leaks
- 2019 Malware
- DTrack (linked to North Korea's Lazarus Group)
- 2019 Affected Entities
- Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
- 2019 Attack Method
- Malware-laced links sent to email accounts