Cyber attacks from Pakistan target Indian defence websites amid escalating tensions

New Delhi: Amid mounting Indo-Pak tension following the Pahalgam terror attack, prominent Indian defence websites, including those of the Indian Military Engineering Service and Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, have been hacked by Pakistani cyber attackers, compromising personal information, sources said on Monday.

A group known as Pakistan Cyber Force also attempted to deface the official website of Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited, a state-owned company under the defence ministry.

While the AVNL website has been taken offline for a thorough audit, the websites of the MP-IDSA and the MES appear to have been restored by evening. “More internal auditing and evaluation are in progress,” said a source.

The Union government’s cyber forces have taken necessary measures to bolster the security infrastructure, strengthen digital defence, and safeguard against further intrusion attempts.

Officials keeping a close eye on Pakistani social media handles found via the Twitter (now X) account of Pakistan Cyber Force that the group allegedly gained access to sensitive data from the Indian Military Engineering Service and Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis.

“Their claim suggests that the attackers may have compromised personal information related to defencepersonnels including the login credentials,” said a source.

In addition, the Pakistani group attempted to deface the official website of Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited, whose website has been defaced by using the Pakistan flag and the Al Khalid tank.

Based in Avadi near Chennai, the public sector company manufactures India’s main battle tank and armoured vehicles.

“As a precautionary measure, the AVNL website 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,” sources said.

“Furthermore, cybersecurity experts and agencies are actively monitoring cyberspace to detect any additional attacks, particularly those that may be sponsored by threat actors linked to Pakistan,” they said, noting that the ongoing surveillance is aimed at quickly identifying and mitigating any future risks posed by the cyber attackers.

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

These efforts are focused on enhancing the overall resilience of online platforms and ensuring that forces are better prepared to defend against future cyber threats.