Conspiracy To Hack AIIMS Server Likely Hatched In Hong Kong, Say Sources

Sources said that the conspiracy of the AIIMS server hacking may have been hatched in Hong Kong. Earlier the Union Minister of State for IT said there seems to be a conspiracy behind the cyber attack.

New Delhi: As a probe into the AIIMS server hacking is underway, sources said that the conspiracy of the same may have been hatched in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China.

This comes after Union Minister of State for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar, in an exclusive interview with ABP News on Friday, said the recent case of server hack in AIIMS is not a minor incident and there seems to be a conspiracy behind it.

The minister said that CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team), NIA, and police are investigating the AIIMS server hack case and added that in a bid to ensure the privacy of the citizens’ data, the government is going to bring a Digital Data Protection Bill in the budget session.

Delhi Police sent the infected server to the Central Forensic Lab and its report is expected soon. The Delhi Police is yet to officially make a disclosure in this matter. Sources have said that the hackers are likely based outside the country.

Notably, the Union Home Ministry had called a high-level meeting regarding the server hack case. 

Apart from officials associated with the AIIMS administration, other officials, including senior members of the Intelligence Bureau, NIC, NIA, Delhi Police, and MHA attended the high-level meeting convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

NIC officials said in the meeting that soon the AIIMS server would be restored to work smoothly. 

Hackers allegedly demanded around Rs 200 crore in cryptocurrency from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, as the institution's server was rendered, reported news agency PTI. It is feared that the data of between 3 and 4 crore patients may have been compromised in the breach.

As per reports, the NIA is likely to probe if there is any terrorist angle to the incident. Earlier, sources said that apart from the information on several patients, the AIIMS server also has data on VVIPs and there is a possibility that this data may be vulnerable in the wake of the cyber hack.  

It is to be noted that internet service in AIIMS has been suspended on the recommendation of the investigating agencies. 

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), Home Ministry officials, and Delhi Police teams are already probing the ransomware attack. On November 25, the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police registered a case of cyber terrorism and extortion.