Cyber Incident Victim: Delhi State Health Mission
Date:
Jun 2020
Location:
India
Summary
Hackers from the Kerala Cyber Hackers group breached a health mission website, compromising personal data of approximately 80,000 COVID-19 patients, including names, ages, addresses, and test results. The intrusion was described as a protest against inadequate protection and support for healthcare workers facing equipment shortages and high infection risks. The group criticized the government for storing sensitive information without sufficient security measures, though they claimed no intent to publicly release the stolen data. The incident underscored broader vulnerabilities in India's digital infrastructure, referencing prior security failures involving pandemic-related apps and national biometric databases. Authorities had not responded to the allegations at the time of reporting.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On June 27, 2020, the Kerala Cyber Hackers group breached the Delhi State Health Mission website, claiming access to personal data of approximately 80,000 COVID-19 patients in New Delhi. The attackers stated they compromised the government system in under ten minutes, extracting sensitive records containing patient names, ages, addresses, and coronavirus test results. Screenshots purportedly showing patient record sheets were publicly posted by the group as evidence of the intrusion. The hackers emphasized they would not release the full dataset despite obtaining it, framing their actions as a protest against the Delhi Government’s treatment of healthcare workers rather than a conventional data theft operation. They criticized the government for storing highly sensitive citizen information on inadequately secured servers. At the time of reporting, Delhi authorities had not publicly confirmed or denied the breach nor commented on the allegations.
The group explicitly linked the attack to systemic failures in protecting medical staff during the pandemic, citing insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 infections among healthcare personnel due to budget constraints. New Delhi’s healthcare system—serving 29 million residents amid India’s largest COVID-19 outbreak—faced severe strain, with annual public health spending at approximately £12 per person. This incident followed earlier cybersecurity concerns during India’s pandemic response, including a May 2020 incident where a French hacker allegedly accessed location data of over 100 million users through the government’s Aarogya Setu contact-tracing app. The breach also occurred against a backdrop of recurring data leaks in national digital initiatives, notably within India’s biometric welfare database. No containment measures, technical remediation steps, or victim notifications were detailed in available reports following the hackers’ disclosure.