Pak Hackers Targeted Indian Defence Websites Amid Tensions Over Pahalgam Attack
New Delhi: Pakistani hackers attempted to hack Indian defence websites and may have compromised sensitive data of defence personnel, including their login credentials, the Indian Army said. The Army has said that a handle on X, ‘Pakistan Cyber Force’, allegedly gained access to sensitive data of the Military Engineer Services and the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis.
It has also been reported that the group also attempted to deface the official website of Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited, a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence. The website has been defaced by using Pakistan flag and Al Khalid tank. The Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited’s website has been taken offline for a thorough and deliberate audit to assess the extent of any potential damage caused by the defacement attempt and to ensure the integrity of the website, the Army said.
Cybersecurity experts and agencies are actively monitoring cyberspace to detect any additional cyber attacks, particularly those that may be sponsored by threat actors linked to Pakistan, the Army said, adding that the ongoing surveillance aims to quickly identify and mitigate any future risks posed by these cyber attackers. In one of the earlier incidents, hacker groups including ‘Cyber Group HOAX1337’ and ‘National Cyber Crew’ targeted the websites of Army Public Schools in Jammu, attempting to deface them with messages mocking the victims of the recent Pahalgam terror attack.
A separate cyber attack defaced a website providing healthcare services for ex-servicemen, while websites of the Army Institute of Hotel Management and Indian Air Force veterans were also among those targeted. Earlier, a cyber attack by a Pakistani group named ‘IOK Hacker’ targeting the Indian Army was successfully foiled, officials said.
The group had attempted to breach multiple public-facing websites, including those of Army Public School Srinagar and Ranikhet, the database of Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) and the Indian Air Force’s placement portal. However, the Army’s cybersecurity framework, equipped with real-time monitoring systems and a robust digital firewall, effectively intercepted all intrusion attempts.