How Pakistan is waging cyberwar against India after Pahalgam attack
What's the story
India has witnessed a spate of cyberattacks following the Pahalgam terror strike on April 22. Several websites have been defaced, and efforts have been made to extract sensitive information. The attacks are believed to be the handiwork of Pakistani-based hackers as part of Islamabad's psychological warfare against New Delhi. According to a report by the Maharashtra Cyber Cell titled 'Echoes of Pahalgam," India has been targeted by nearly one million cyberattacks since April 23.
Cyber targets
Targeted attacks on Indian institutions
One of the initial victims of these cyberattacks was the website of India's Army College of Nursing, which was hacked on April 25. The hackers had left an inflammatory message on the site, referencing the two-nation theory remarks by Pakistani army chief Asim Munir before the attack. "Our religion, customs are miles apart...We are Muslims, you are Hindus...Allah is with us...Your religion won't save you, but it will be the cause of your death," the message read.
Education department breach
Rajasthan education department's website hacked
Other targeted sites include Army Public School Srinagar and Army Public School Ranikhet, both showing propaganda-laden content. Cyberattacks haven't been confined to educational institutions. The Rajasthan education department's website was hacked too, with the attackers mocking India's administration over the 2019 capture of IAF officer Abhinandan Varthaman by Pakistan. They posted objectionable content over the Pahalgam attack too, claiming it was an inside job and warning of future attacks in cyberspace.
Cybersecurity concerns
Pro-Pakistani group involved in cyberattacks
Cybersecurity experts have sounded alerts over a malicious PDF file named 'Report & Update Regarding Pahalgam Terror Attack.pdf' that is being circulated online. The document is hosted on phishing domains impersonating official Indian government sites. The team at Quick Heal has detected pro-Pakistani hacker group APT36 (Transparent Tribe) using malware via sophisticated phishing attacks. Cyber experts have also witnessed a 10-15% increase in malicious ad placements with Pakistani flags on OTT websites, indicating an uptick in cyber warfare tactics.
Cyber culprits
Hacking groups behind recent cyberattacks
According to ABP, the origins of these attacks have been traced to Pakistan, the Middle East, Morocco, and Indonesia. 'Team Insane PK' has claimed responsibility for the defacement of the Indian Army College of Nursing website and is believed to be behind several kinds of cyberattacks on Indian government websites, educational institutes, and companies. Another group behind these attacks works under the name of 'IOK Hacker or the 'Internet of Khilafah.'