On cyber attack on India, US says cannot allow China to dominate

Washington, Mar 02: A top American lawmaker on Monday urged the Biden administration to stand by India in view of the Chinese cyber attack on India's power grid system as reported by a US-based company that monitors such malicious activities by the state actors.

"The US must stand by our strategic partner and condemn China's dangerous cyber-attack on India's grid, which forced hospitals to go on generators in the midst of a pandemic," Congressman Frank Pallone said in a tweet on Monday.

"We cannot allow China to dominate the region through force and intimidation," tweeted Pallone, a day after Recorded Future, a Massachusetts-based company which studies the use of the internet by state actors, said Chinese government-linked group of hackers targeted India's critical power grid system through malware, amidst the tense border tension between the two nations.

The State Department said it is aware of these reports. "For specifics, we refer you to the company that conducted the study. More broadly, however, the State Department works with partners around the world to respond to shared threats in cyberspace," a State Department spokesperson told PTI.

"In general, we continue to have concerns about states' dangerous and coercive actions, including in cyberspace, and we reaffirm the importance of joint action on cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, and supply chain security," said the spokesperson.