Pak hackers try to breach more Indian military sites

A group of hackers called the ‘Pakistan cyber force’ on Monday attempted to gain access to sensitive data from four Indian military-related websites.

Among the websites that faced attacks were those of the Indian Military Engineering Service and the Ministry of Defence-run think-tank Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis.

The same group also attempted to deface the official website of Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited, a public sector undertaking under the MoD, using a Pakistani flag and an ‘Al Khalid’ tank. As a precautionary measure, the website has been taken offline to assess any potential damage caused by the defacement attempt and to ensure its integrity.

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 ongoing surveillance aims to quickly identify and mitigate any future risks posed by cyber-attackers, said sources.

In response to the situation, appropriate and necessary measures were being taken to bolster the security infrastructure, strengthen digital defence and safeguard against further intrusion attempts, said officials.

The efforts were focused on enhancing overall resilience of online platforms and ensuring that forces were better prepared to defend against future cyberthreats, said the officials.

Cyberattacks targeting several Indian websites, especially of academic institutions, have been reported in recent days, particularly after the April 22 Pahalgam attack. At least four Army Public Schools (APS), including APS-Nagrota and APS-Sunjuwan (both located in Jammu and Kashmir), were targeted by hackers, a source said.