After failed attempt to threaten India at LAC, vicious hacking attempt launched from China

India on Wednesday took strong exception to China claiming sovereignty over the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, saying its "exaggerated and untenable claims" are contrary to the understanding reached on the issue between the two sides. The tensions between the two countries have escalated, especially after 20 of the Indian Army personnel were martyred in conflict with the Chinese troops on Monday night, and an estimated 35+ casualties were suffered by the Chinese.

China targets India by launching cyberattacks

Now, after threatening India at the border, China has reportedly launched sustained DDOS (distributed denial of service) attacks on the country's information websites and the financial payments system. According to a report in daily Hindustan Times, most of the attacks were traced back to the Chinese city of Chengdu. The attacks began on Tuesday and continued through Wednesday but they were unsuccessful, the report said.

DDOS attacks are malicious attempts to overwhelm a network by flooding it with artificially created internet traffic. A variety of targets were zeroed in on, including government websites and the banking system including ATMs. The report added that Chengdu is home to a large number of hacker groups, many of whom are hired by Chinese government agencies to provide a cover for their operations.

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PM Modi pays tribute to martyrs

PM Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to the army personnel martyred in the clash with the Chinese troops and said the armed forces have always shown remarkable courage and steadfastly protected India's sovereignty. "Tributes to the martyrs who lost their lives protecting our nation in eastern Ladakh. Their supreme sacrifice will never be forgotten," the Prime Minister said in a tweet. 

Twenty Indian Army personnel including a colonel were killed in a fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on Monday night. The clash in Galwan Valley on Monday night is the biggest confrontation between the two militaries after their 1967 clashes in Nathu La in 1967 when India lost around 80 soldiers while over 300 Chinese army personnel were killed.

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(With PTI inputs)