14 DAY TRIAL // French and Indian authorities have started investigations into the theft of sensitive files from French submarine maker DCNS.
The leak includes 22,400 pages of documents detailing plans for a Scorpene class combat submarine. The Indian Navy had contracted DCNS to build six new Scorpene boats to add to its existing fleet of 13 aging submarines.
Chile, Malaysia, and (soon) Brazil are also deploying the same Scorpene class submarines. The Australian newspaper announced the data breach. Australia has awarded a 12-submarine $38 billion contract to DCNS in April this year, but for a Barracuda class submarine model.
DCNS suffered cyber-attacks last year as well
Last year, during the contract bidding process, Australian authorities revealed cyber-attacks against the three companies trying to secure the contract, German-based ThyssenKrupp, the Japanese government, and France's DCNS (owned two-thirds by the French government).
Indian authorities believe the incident occurred because of a cyber-attack, not because of an insider. "What I understand is that there is hacking," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Wednesday, per Indian newspaper The Hindu.
Parrikar also said that the stolen plans are incomplete because some of the submarine's assembly will be completed in India, details not held by DCNS.
However, The Australian newspaper cites a source that said the breach occurred in 2011 when a French Navy officer working as a DCNS subcontractor had left the company.
DCNS said in a statement that the document theft was limited only to the Scorpene model and not the Barracuda class.
Leaked documents included submarine technical and combat details
The Australian has obtained three of the leaked documents, which is offering on its website, behind a paywall. Below are screenshots of the first pages of one of the leaked documents.
The newspaper says the leaked documents include the following details: stealth capabilities, noise levels per submarine speed, diving depth, mission range, equipment endurance, and radio frequencies used for gathering intelligence.
The documents also included details on magnetic, electromagnetic and infra-red data, torpedo launch system specifications, combat system details, conditions for optimal periscope usage, propeller noise specifications, and radiated noise levels when the submarine surfaces.
Last year, Australia suspected that Russia and China were behind the cyber-attacks aimed at obtaining pre-contract details for its 12 new Barracuda submarines.
