India Steps Up Cyber Monitoring After Pakistani Group’s Hacking Claims

Amid rising geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, cyber security experts and security agencies are actively monitoring the Indian cyberspace to detect any intrusion from malicious actors. 

“… 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,” government officials told news agency PTI. 

As per the report, the surveillance will look to quickly identify and mitigate any future risks posed by cyber attackers. 

The development comes after a user called ‘Pakistan Cyber Force’ on social media platform X claimed to have gained access to sensitive information from the Indian Military Engineering Service and Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA). 

The Pakistani handle claimed to have compromised 10 GB of personal data related to 1,600 defence persons, including their login credentials. An image attached with the post mentioned the names, addresses, mobile numbers, departments, designation and “MES No.” of the defence personnel.

The group also defaced the website of the Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited (AVNL), a PSU under the defence ministry. Posting pictures of the webpage of AVNL, where an Indian tank’s photograph has allegedly been replaced by a Pakistani “Al Khalid” tank and Pakistani flag, the group claimed, “Your armoured factory is now owned by Pakistan, courtesy Pakistan Cyber Force”.

In response to this, the government is said to have taken down the website of AVNL for an audit to assess any potential damage. 

“As a precautionary measure, the website of Armoured Vehicle Nigam Ltd., has been taken offline for a thorough and deliberate audit in order to assess the extent of any potential damage caused by the defacement attempt and to ensure the integrity of the website,” officials told the news agency. 

They added that “appropriate and necessary measures” are being taken to further bolster the security infrastructure, strengthen digital defences and safeguard against further intrusion attempts. 

While the government has not publicly confirmed the developments, senior management personnel of IDSA “categorically denied” that its website has been hacked, as per Livemint. However, sources told News18 that the cyberattack may have compromised sensitive information linked to Indian defence officials. 

The development comes nearly two weeks after a gruesome terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. 

Beyond the geopolitical tensions, cyber attacks against Indian startups and organisations are on rise. A report by security firm CloudSEK estimated that India emerged as the second most targeted nation for cyber attacks globally, with 95 entities falling victim to data theft in 2024.