Cyber sleuths ramp up vigil on critical infra as Pakistan conflict spills online
Central and state cybersecurity agencies are on high alert as escalating Indo-Pakistan tensions are expected to fuel major cyber threats and misinformation campaigns over the next few days.Early signs of heightened threat activity have already emerged across utilities such as oil and gas, electricity grids, and telecom networks, particularly in states bordering conflict zones and the national capital, cybersecurity experts tracking the events told ET.On Wednesday morning, soon after India carried out a series of air strikes on terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan, cybersecurity consultants and digital forensics teams issued advisories to banks, stock exchanges, and key digital public platforms like Aadhaar and UPI, urging immediate shutdown of non-essential systems and ramped-up vigilance.National Stock Exchange and BSE have temporarily restricted access to their website for international users."The cyber threat was particularly very high yesterday. The restriction for foreign IP (Internet protocol) addresses will continue until further notice," said a person close to the development.Access has been restricted since 1 pm yesterday. However, if there is any specific request from a client then exchanges are considering it, sources said.Stock exchanges took the decision after consulting SEBI.NSE declined to comment. A spokesperson for BSE said: "BSE being a critical market infrastructure institution (MII) proactively and continuously monitors risks at domestic and international level for potential cyber threats. Based on such monitoring of cyber traffic, as a precautionary and protective measure, websites / locations are blocked to protect users and systems. The monitoring is dynamic and access is restored on a case to case basis subject to assessment of the threat." Tarun Wig, cofounder and CEO of Delhi-based information security provider Innefu Labs, said, "Given the tit-for-tat nature of these cyber exchanges, we assess that tensions are likely to remain high or even intensify."Innefu Labs' clients include the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) among others."India's cyber defence agencies have rapidly mobilised," Wig said. "CERT-In and other cells are on high alert, implementing system hardening and AI-enabled monitoring. Real-time intrusion detection and incident response have been scaled up."According to Kaspersky's Cyberthreat Live Map, India has experienced a noticeable surge in cyberattacks since May 5, 2025.Experts warn that the fallout could surpass the cyber impact seen after the 2019 Pulwama attack, with recent detections of sophisticated malware and spear-phishing campaigns, suggesting a well-coordinated offensive.Security analysts note that offensive cyber operations often mirror geopolitical flare-ups, so further spikes in hacking incidents are expected.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
13 minutes ago
- Business Standard
L&T Finance rallies 3%, hits new high; more steam left in the NBFC stock?
L&T Finance share price today L&T Finance (LTF) shares hit a new high of ₹216.75 today, rising 3 per cent on the BSE in Tuesday's intraday trade amid heavy volumes. The stock price of the non-banking finance company (NBFC) surpassed its previous high of ₹214.80, which it touched on July 23, 2025. In the past two trading days, L&T Finance shares have rallied 7 per cent after S&P Global Ratings revised the NBFC's stand-alone credit rating upward by one notch due to likely improvement in its risk adjusted capital (RAC) ratios. S&P Global believes the fresh capital raising or benefits from lower risk weights due to a reduction in economic risk and the sovereign upgrade bodes well for the NBFC. In the past six months, the market price of L&T Finance has zoomed 60 per cent. S&P Global Ratings on L&T Finance S&P Global Ratings expects India's sound economic fundamentals to underpin growth momentum over the next two to three years. In addition, monetary policy settings, it said, have become increasingly conducive to managing inflationary expectations. The rating agency, therefore, upgraded India to 'BBB/Stable/A-2' from 'BBB-/Positive/A-3'. On L&T Finance, the rating agency said LTF will maintain its strengthened capital levels over the next 12-24 months. "We estimate LTF's RAC ratio will be 15 per cent-20 per cent over the next two years, benefiting from the improving economic conditions in India," it added. Notably, L&T Finance's RAC ratio was 19.7 per cent as of March 31, 2025. "The stable rating outlook reflects our expectation that L&T Finance will continue to benefit from being part of the Larsen & Toubro group. The company's linkages with the strong Larsen & Toubro brand should help solidify its market position, and access preferential funding sources while maintaining a good capital position over the next two years," S&P Ratings said in its rationale. Brokerages on L&T Fin, ratings, share price target LT Finance, according to analysts, remains assertive on reduction in credit cost and improving asset quality in the microfinance institution (MFI) space from H2FY26. The MFIN Guardrails 2.0 will help build quality portfolios in the long term, while having limited impact in the short-term. "On an operational level, the franchise is making significant structural changes wherein new credit underwriting engines have been deployed, targeting prime segments which would ultimately improve the overall quality of the portfolio, resulting in lower credit costs. The company has guided for 20 per cent near-term loan growth, which may inch up to ~25 per cent gradually. It remains committed to its target profitability metrics—while NIMs would come off, opex improvements and lower credit costs will help to offset the impact," according to Mirae Asset Sharekhan. The brokerage firm has reiterated its 'Buy' rating on the stock with a revised price target of ₹240. FY26 will be a year of transformation for L&T Finance, transitioning towards the targeted loan mix and implementing Cyclops in Tractors, personal lending, and SME segments, Motilal Oswal Financial Services said. The brokerage expects LTF to deliver a structural improvement in profitability and RoA from FY27 onwards. It, too, has reiterated a 'Buy' rating on the stock with a target price of ₹250 (based on 2x Mar'27E BVPS).
Hans India
13 minutes ago
- Hans India
BlueStone IPO Makes Dull Debut, 1.3% From Issue Price
BlueStone Jewellery shares made a weak stock market debut today, August 19. The stock listed at ₹510 on NSE, down 1.3% from the issue price of ₹517. On the BSE, it opened at a 1.6% discount. The IPO had raised ₹1,540.65 crore, consisting of ₹820 crore from fresh issue (1.59 crore shares) and ₹720.65 crore from offer for sale (1.39 crore shares). By the close of bidding (August 13), the IPO was subscribed 2.72 times. Price band: ₹517 per share Lot size: 29 shares (₹14,268 minimum retail investment) Allotment date: August 14 Lead manager: Axis Capital Registrar: Kfin Technologies
Hans India
13 minutes ago
- Hans India
Modern integr.sub-registrar offices complex to come up in Gachibowli
Hyderabad: The State of the art integrated Sub-Registrar office at Gachibowli to house registration offices of Rangareddy, Gandipet, Sherlingampalli and Rajendranagar. Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy informed that foundation will be laid to the integrated Sub-Registrar office building by CM on August 20. Minister said that in the first phase, 39 Sub-Registrar offices in four districts of Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal and Sangareddy are going to be brought under the purview of 11 integrated buildings. Rangareddy RO Office, Gandipet, Sherlingampalli and Rajendranagar are being constructed as an integrated Sub-Registrar office at the Telangana Academy of Land Information and Management (TALIM) office in Gachibowli. He said that this integrated Sub-Registrar office will be a role model. He said that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy will lay the foundation stone of this building on August 20. The Minister reviewed the arrangements for the event scheduled to be held on August 20 and visited Gachibowli on Monday. Orders have been issued to the respective district collectors to identify sites for integrated buildings at four places for thirteen more sub-registrar offices. He said that the slot booking system introduced in all the sub-registrar offices in the state will be successfully implemented to provide services in a transparent and corruption-free manner, saving the time of the people. He said that the slot booking system is being implemented in 144 sub-registrar offices in the state in phases from April 10 to June 2 across the state, and so far, about three lakh slot bookings have been registered. He said that his government does not see the Stamps & Registration Department as a source of income and is taking necessary steps to provide the best services to the people. He explained that the Government has saved a lot of people's time through slot booking and that it is going to introduce the e-Aadhaar system to make the registration process faster. This system is already being implemented in the Armur Sub-Registrar offices of Nizamabad district and Kusumanchi Sub-Registrar offices of Khammam district and will soon be implemented in all offices. Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said revolutionary reforms have been undertaken in the Stamp & Registration Department to provide the best services to the people coming to the registration offices. He said that due to these reforms, the people are already getting many better services, and in order to provide the best services in the future, in line with the ideas of the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, they are going to reorganize the Sub-Registrar offices and build integrated offices wherever necessary to provide convenience to the people without any administrative hassle. He said that these offices will not only improve performance, but also facilitate supervision and reduce corruption, and the workload between the offices will be equal and the processing of files will be expedited.
