We have heard numerous instances of data leak from even the most trusted applications such as Facebook and also Volkswagen. In India, one of the most used portals for booking train tickets, the IRCTC portal’s vulnerability was discovered which allowed the 17 year old to download millions of user data by just a click of a button. He however, chose to report the vulnerability instead of exploiting it, which was then patched. On numerous occasions governments have been held hostage by hackers who demand for huge ransoms in exchange for not leaking the data in public.
Contrary to the common notion, it's is not just data that drive hackers. It's the ability to put down an entire system, such as a whole city or an entire transport system, as a way to wage war against a country. The power cuts that Mumbai experienced in 2020 has been attributed to Chinese attacks by the New York Times. China has established numerous organisations with the only aim to build malware directed at India’s power sector, from petroleum refineries to nuclear power plants to cause blackouts in large metropolises at their will.
(To be continued)
