Incident: Attempted Cyber Attack on Indian Army Officers via Malicious Emails.

Published Date: 2017-04-03

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident of the attempted hack into the computers of Indian Army senior officers with decoy emails containing malware links happened around April 2017. [Article 50558]
System The system that failed in the software failure incident reported in Article 50558 was the email security system, which failed to prevent the malicious emails containing malware from reaching the targeted officers. 1. Email security system
Responsible Organization 1. Hackers targeted the computers of senior officers in the Indian Army by sending malicious emails containing links to leaked 'sex videos' in an attempt to inject malware into their systems [50558].
Impacted Organization 1. Indian Army senior officers, specifically at the Lieutenant General-rank, were targeted by the attempted hack [50558].
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was the injection of a data-stealing malware of the remote access trojan (RAT) variant through a malicious email containing a hyperlink disguised as a leaked video link [50558].
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of awareness among personnel about potential cyber threats and social engineering tactics [50558] 2. Insufficient cybersecurity measures in place to prevent phishing attacks targeting senior officers [50558] 3. Potential human error in clicking on suspicious links in emails [50558] 4. Lack of strict protocols for handling suspicious emails and attachments within the organization [50558]
Impacts 1. The attempted hack aimed to steal critical information stored on the computers of senior Indian Army officers [50558]. 2. The malware used in the attack was a remote access trojan (RAT) variant, designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to the targeted systems [50558]. 3. The potential impact of the successful hack could have led to blackmailing of the victims by the hackers [50558]. 4. The awareness levels among the officers and men in the Indian Army helped avert the hacking attempts, showcasing the importance of regular cybersecurity education and campaigns [50558].
Preventions 1. Implementing robust email filtering and security measures to detect and block malicious emails containing malware links [50558]. 2. Conducting regular cybersecurity awareness training for personnel to educate them on the risks of clicking on suspicious links or attachments in emails [50558]. 3. Utilizing advanced endpoint protection solutions to detect and prevent malware infections on systems [50558]. 4. Enforcing strict policies on opening attachments or clicking on hyperlinks from unknown or unverified sources [50558]. 5. Monitoring and blocking suspicious IP addresses and websites known for hosting malware [50558].
Fixes 1. Conducting regular cybersecurity awareness training for all personnel to educate them on the risks of clicking on suspicious links or attachments [50558]. 2. Implementing robust email filtering systems to detect and block malicious emails containing malware-laden links [50558]. 3. Utilizing advanced endpoint protection solutions to detect and prevent malware infections on systems [50558]. 4. Enforcing strict policies on internet usage and email security within the organization to mitigate the risk of falling victim to cyber attacks [50558].
References 1. Indian Army cyber security team 2. Highly-placed officers in the Army 3. Army sources 4. Sources in the Army intelligence wing 5. Recorded message on an official Army telephone number 6. Examples of past incidents and awareness campaigns conducted by the Army 7. Specific incidents like the virtual honey-trapping cases involving Pakistani agents 8. Example of a specific case involving Indian Air Force personnel Ranjith KK and the Pakistani ISI [50558]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring unknown The articles do not provide information about any previous software failure incidents happening again at the same organization or at multiple organizations.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the attempted hack on Indian Army officers' computers. The hackers sent decoy emails containing links to leaked 'sex videos' to lure the officers into clicking on the malicious links. The email contained a hyperlink that read 'leaked video of Lt Gen****' to entice the receiver. Clicking on the link would direct the user to a malicious website potentially infecting the system with malware [Article 50558]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in the potential consequences of the malware injection. The malware discovered in the malicious email was a remote access trojan (RAT) variant, designed to steal information from the infected system. If the hackers had succeeded in stealing information, they could potentially use it to blackmail their victims. The Army advised its personnel not to open the attachment or the hyperlink in the email and to delete the mail from their inbox to prevent the malware from accessing its command and control server [Article 50558].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident in this case falls under the within_system category. The incident involved a coordinated attempt to hack into the computers of Indian Army senior officers using decoy emails containing links to leaked 'sex videos'. The malicious emails contained a data-stealing malware of the remote access trojan (RAT) variant, which, when injected into a system, could steal critical information stored within it [Article 50558]. The malware was designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to the computer system, indicating that the failure originated from within the system itself.
Nature (Human/Non-human) human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: The incident described in the article is not related to a software failure caused by non-human actions. Instead, it involves a coordinated attempt to hack into the computers of Indian Army senior officers through malicious emails containing links to malware disguised as leaked 'sex videos' [Article 50558]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: The software failure incident in the article is a result of human actions, specifically the actions of hackers who sent decoy emails containing malware links to target the computers of Indian Army senior officers. The hackers used social engineering tactics to trick the recipients into clicking on the malicious links, leading to potential system infections and data theft [Article 50558].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The incident reported in the article [50558] was not due to hardware failure but rather a cyber attack attempt on the Indian Army's senior officers' computers using decoy emails containing malware-infected links. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The software failure incident in the article [50558] was a result of a coordinated attempt by hackers to inject malware into the systems of Indian Army officers through malicious emails containing links to fake 'sex videos'. The malware was designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to the computers, highlighting a software-related failure incident.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) malicious (a) The software failure incident described in the articles is malicious in nature. Hackers attempted to hack into the computers of Indian Army senior officers by sending decoy emails containing links to leaked 'sex videos' in order to inject malware into the systems. The malware discovered in the emails was identified as a remote access trojan (RAT) variant, designed to steal critical information from the compromised systems [Article 50558]. The hackers' objective was to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to the computers and potentially use the stolen information for blackmail purposes. (b) There is no indication in the articles of a non-malicious software failure incident.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The intent of the software failure incident described in the articles is related to **accidental_decisions**. The incident involved a coordinated attempt to hack into the computers of Indian Army senior officers through decoy emails containing links to leaked 'sex videos' to lure the recipients into clicking on malicious links that could inject malware into their systems [Article 50558]. The officers were targeted with a data-stealing malware of the remote access trojan (RAT) variant, indicating that the intent was to steal critical information stored on the officers' computers [Article 50558]. The incident was not a result of poor decisions but rather a deliberate attempt by hackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, unknown (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the attempted hack on the Indian Army officers' computers. The hackers used a decoy email containing a link to a malicious website with a data-stealing malware of the remote access trojan (RAT) variant [50558]. This incident highlights the lack of professional competence by the hackers who attempted to infiltrate the Army's systems. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is not explicitly mentioned in the provided articles.
Duration unknown The articles do not provide information about a software failure incident being either permanent or temporary.
Behaviour other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and stops performing its intended functions [Article 50558]. (b) omission: The incident does not involve a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [Article 50558]. (c) timing: The incident does not involve a failure due to the system performing its intended functions correctly, but too late or too early [Article 50558]. (d) value: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly [Article 50558]. (e) byzantine: The incident does not involve a failure due to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [Article 50558]. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in the article is related to a cyber attack involving the distribution of malicious emails containing links to infect systems with malware, specifically a remote access trojan (RAT) variant. This behavior falls under the category of a cyber security threat rather than a traditional software failure as described in the options (a) to (e) [Article 50558].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, theoretical_consequence (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure The software failure incident described in the article involved a coordinated attempt to hack into the computers of senior officers in the Indian Army using decoy emails containing links to leaked 'sex videos'. The malicious emails were designed to inject malware, specifically a remote access trojan (RAT) variant, into the victims' systems. If successful, this malware could disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to the computers, potentially leading to the theft of critical information stored on them [50558]. The consequences of this software failure incident would primarily fall under the category of property damage, as the hackers aimed to steal information from the compromised systems.
Domain information, government (a) The failed system was intended to support the industry of information, specifically related to the military and defense sector. The incident involved a coordinated attempt to hack into the computers of senior officers in the Indian Army, highlighting the importance of cyber security in safeguarding critical information and data within the military [Article 50558].

Sources

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