Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant Data Breach

Overview of the Data Leak

• A large cache of files, purportedly linked to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, was leaked on the dark web by the ransomware group World Leaks.
• The data is linked to the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group, specifically its subsidiary, Reliance Infrastructure Ltd.
• Reliance Infrastructure was awarded the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract in 2018 for the plant’s non-nuclear common service facilities (Balance of Plant - BoP).

Details of the Data Leak

• The leaked dataset includes 14.3 GB of data comprising 18,997 files related to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant.
• This is part of a larger 1.2 terabyte cache with over 858,000 files linked to the Reliance Group.
• Files contain inspection records, engineering designs, and correspondence between Reliance Infrastructure and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).

Response and Impact

• The authenticity of the documents is unverified, but a partial data breach was confirmed by Reliance, hosted by the third-party data center service Yotta.
• NPCIL clarified that the leak concerns only the plant’s non-nuclear facilities, maintaining that nuclear safety/security systems were unaffected.
• Units 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant are still under construction, with the completion expected by 2027.

Historical Context

• Previously in 2019, Kudankulam faced a cyberattack by North Korean-linked hackers using the malware DTrack.
• The attack targeted the administrative network, not affecting the plant’s critical internal systems, which were closely monitored.