As tensions between India and Pakistan escalate in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, Pakistani hackers are targeting Indian defence website, claiming that they have access to sensitive information. However, senior management of one of the websites categorically denied the information.
Pakistan Cyber Force, a handle on X, has claimed that its hackers gained access to sensitive information of the Military Engineer Services and the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis.
The X account has claimed that it has gained access to 10 gb of data of over 1600 users of the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses website.
Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis denies claim
Senior management of Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses has categorically denieed that its website has been hacked.
Defence data compromised?
According to a report by News18 citing sources, the cyber attack may have compromised sensitive information linked to Indian defence officials, such as their login credentials and personal details.
The news outlet also reported that Pakistani hackers further tried to deface the website of Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited, a Public Sector Undertaking that falls under the ambit of the Ministry of Defence.
An NDTV report also stated quoting sources that the website of the Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited was taken down for a thorough audit to assess the extent of any potential damage.
Livemint could not independently verify the reports, but also could not access the website.
India foils Pakistan’s hacking attempts
In a continued wave of cyber offensives, Pakistan-based hacker groups such as “Cyber Group HOAX1337” and “National Cyber Crew” made unsuccessful attempts to breach some websites on May 1.
According to news agency ANI, these hacking efforts were promptly identified and neutralised by cybersecurity agencies.
Among the latest provocations, the websites of Army Public School Nagrota and Sunjuwan were targeted and attempted to be defaced with messages mocking the victims of the recent Pahalgam terror attack. In another incident, a website catering to ex-servicemen’s healthcare services was defaced.
Earlier on April 29, Pakistan redirected its efforts towards publicly accessible welfare and educational websites. Operating under the moniker “IOK Hacker” – Internet of Khilafah, the group sought to deface pages, disrupt online services and harvest personal information. India’s cybersecurity architecture detected the intrusions in real-time and quickly traced their origin to Pakistan.
The websites of Army Public School (APS) Srinagar and APS Ranikhet were both targeted with inflammatory propaganda. APS Srinagar also faced a distributed-denial-of-service assault.
