NEW DELHI: Thousands of sensitive documents related to India’s largest nuclear power plant, the Kudankulam State Nuclear Power Plant, have allegedly been leaked in a cyber attack, including maps of various parts of the plant, supplier details, inspection reports and other important information.
According to Reuters, the well-known ransomware group World Leaks has released a large number of files on the dark web, which the group has linked to India’s leading business conglomerate, Reliance Group.
The Kudankulam State Nuclear Power Plant is located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is the largest of India’s seven major nuclear power plants. The project is considered a key part of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to increase nuclear energy capacity in the country.
Reliance confirms Data Leak
Reliance Group said in a statement to Reuters that part of its data stored on a server of a third-party Indian data center service provider, Yotta, has been affected, and the government has been informed of the incident. However, the company did not say what data was leaked.
According to Reuters, it reviewed the documents released by WorldLeaks, which cover dates from 2016 to mid-2025, but their full authenticity could not be independently verified.
According to the report, the nearly 19,000 files released appear to be the most sensitive of the 858,000 Reliance files on the WorldLeaks website.
According to Nicholas Roth, senior director of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a data leak of this nature could pose a “serious threat” to the safety of a nuclear plant.
He said that such information could not only tell an adversary who the entities with access to the project are, but also clarify the extent to which systems are accessible.
Experts say that if this information falls into the wrong hands, attackers could assess potential weaknesses in the plant’s support systems, suppliers and security systems.
What information was leaked?
According to the report, the files released on the dark web allegedly include maps of the ventilation and cooling systems of Units 3 and 4, a complete floor plan of a ‘joint control room’, a list of suppliers, equipment inspection reports, meeting records, details of insurance policies, equipment photographs and review reports.
However, these documents do not appear to be related to the core systems of the nuclear reactors, as the reactors are being provided by the Russian state-owned company Rosatom.
Construction of Units 3 and 4 Underway
Reliance Infrastructure was awarded the contract to design and build the infrastructure for Units 3 and 4 of the Kaduna State Nuclear Power Plant in 2018.
Both units are still under construction and are expected to be operational by 2027. The two units are expected to generate a total of 2,000 MW of electricity.
According to sources, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, which oversees and operates the country’s nuclear power plants, is investigating the incident along with Reliance.
India’s central cybersecurity agency, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), is also investigating the matter.
The company said that suspicious activity was observed on a server of Reliance Infrastructure on May 29, which was immediately stopped. According to the company, the possible ransomware attack was thwarted, but in late June, Reliance Infrastructure was informed of the data leak claim by external elements.
Utah says it could not confirm the hackers’ claim, but has shared its technical findings with Reliance.
