Indian government websites were the target of the most frequent cyberattacks in 2022, followed by those of the U.S., Indonesia, and China, according to a report by CloudSEK.
Together, these four countries accounted for 40% of the total reported incidents in the government sector, according to the report released on Dec. 30.
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The #OpIndia and #OpsPatuk campaigns of the hacktivist group Dragon Force Malaysia were attributed in the report to the attacks on Indian websites. Numerous hacktivist groups joined and supported these campaigns, which paved the way for subsequent ones, the report said.
Attacks on government agencies can lead to the release of sensitive information, financial losses for the state—often in the form of ransom payments and recovery costs—and even widespread panic and misinformation.
The leaked data can then be leveraged in the future to target citizens via social engineering campaigns, according to the report.
Indian government agencies have also become popular targets of extensive phishing campaigns.
In 2022, 'hacktivist activity' accounted for 9% of the recorded incidents reported in the government sector, while ransomware groups accounted for 6% of the total incidents reported, the report said. LockBit was the most prominent ransomware operator.
"These statistics are suggestive of the fact that cyberattacks in this particular industry are no longer limited to financial gains; rather, they are now used as a means to express support or opposition for certain political, religious, or even economic events and policies," the report said.
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