A cache of nearly 19,000 files purportedly linked to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has surfaced on the dark web after ransomware group World Leaks claimed to have stolen data from Reliance Group, one of the contractors involved in the project, according to Reuters.
The leaked files allegedly include blueprints of parts of the plant's facilities, supplier information, inspection records, equipment reviews and insurance documents spanning 2016 to mid-2025. Reuters reviewed the documents but said it could not independently verify their authenticity.
Reliance Group told Reuters there had been a partial breach involving data stored on a server hosted by third-party data centre provider Yotta. The company said the incident had been reported to the government but did not specify what information had been compromised.
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Kudankulam, India's largest nuclear power station, is central to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plans to expand the country's nuclear energy capacity. Reliance Infrastructure secured the contract in 2018 to develop infrastructure for Units 3 and 4, which are under construction and expected to add a combined 2,000 MW of capacity by 2027.
Yotta said it detected suspicious activity on Reliance Infrastructure's server on May 29 and terminated it immediately, preventing what it described as suspected ransomware execution. However, Reliance later informed the company that external threat actors had claimed to possess stolen data. Yotta said it has been unable to verify those claims but has shared its technical findings with Reliance and is supporting the ongoing investigation.
Reuters, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) is coordinating with Reliance on the incident, while the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is examining the breach.
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The leaked documents reportedly do not relate to the reactors' core systems supplied by Russia's Rosatom. However, they allegedly include layouts of ventilation and cooling systems, supplier lists and a common control room floor plan.
"The files could show an adversary not just who has access to the project but which systems that access reaches," Nickolas Roth, senior director at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, told Reuters, warning that the breach could pose a serious security risk.
The incident comes amid rising cyber threats in India, where cybersecurity studies have highlighted widespread gaps in cyber preparedness and security hygiene.
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