Ransomware Attack Hits TG-iPASS Portal, Industrial Approvals Disrupted

Hyderabad: Telangana’s flagship industrial clearance portal, TG-iPASS, has gone offline following a suspected ransomware attack, disrupting access to its application and database services since Thursday night.

The Telangana State Industrial Project Approval and Self-Certification System (TG-iPASS) is a single-window platform designed to facilitate Government-to-Business (G2B) services and expedite approvals for industrial units, manufacturing facilities and service enterprises.

According to a complaint lodged by S. Suresh, Joint Director in the Commissionerate of Industries, the portal initially failed to connect to its database server. Despite contacting Cloud4C, the service provider hosting the portal, and restarting the server, officials could not restore normal operations.

Subsequent checks revealed that the SQL Server Agent service had stopped and could not be restarted. Further examination indicated that the server had been compromised, with the database and related files encrypted. The affected files carried an unfamiliar “.vgb” extension, while a ransom note containing a contact email address and machine identification number was discovered.

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Officials suspect a ransomware attack, though the extent of the breach remains under investigation.

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) has registered a case and initiated an investigation. Authorities are examining possible unauthorised access, data theft and the attack’s origin. Efforts are also underway to identify clean backups and restore the portal while ensuring data integrity.

The incident has raised concerns over the security of Telangana’s digital infrastructure and the continuity of essential industrial approval services.