The notorious ransomware gang LockBit has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack targeting India’s state-owned aerospace research lab. LockBit added the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) to its dark web leak site, threatening to publish the organization’s stolen data if it fails to pay an unspecified ransom. The leaked documents include confidential letters, an employee’s passport, and other internal documents.
Currently, NAL’s website is down worldwide, and it is unclear if the outage is due to the ransomware attack. NAL and India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Established in 1959, NAL is India’s largest aerospace research organization, owned by the Indian Government’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. It collaborates with other government entities, including the Indian Space Research Organisation and Defence Research and Development Organisation.
In recent months, LockBit has targeted prominent companies, including TSMC, Royal Mail, and Granules India, as well as government agencies like Los Angeles’ housing authority and California’s finance department.