A cyber-attack on Russian communication systems has revealed letters of credit (L/Cs), apparently in respect of defence contracts involving companies in India and Russia.

The cyber-attack perpetrated by anonymous hackers in early March may have compromised defence arrangements between the two countries while investigations are underway into the apparent security breach.

Ukrainian response

Reports say the attack was detected by Indian technical intelligence agencies and may have been launched by hackers responding to Russia's interventions in Ukraine.

Documents leaked as a result of the attack refer mainly to India's contracts with Russia for the purchase, overhaul, maintenance and repair of fighter aircraft such as the Sukhoi-30 MKI and the MiG-29.

Some of the documents are L/Cs issued by a division of India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC). The L/Cs are reported to be for amounts of around US$1.6 million.

Experts investigating

Several fighter aircraft designed and originally made by UAC in Russia are manufactured under license in India by HAL, which is based in Bangalore.

Indian security experts are investigating the cyber-attack and assessing the extent to which the security breach has compromised secret information.

This article represents the views of the author and not necessarily those of the ICC or any of the other partners in DC-PRO.