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New Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Cybersecurity in focus amid India-Pakistan tensions, FM asks banks to ensure firewalling of digital infra
BENGALURU: Given the present heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, cybersecurity experts say cyberattacks can be used to disrupt infrastructure, adding that organisations should adopt a proactive and layered approach to security. On Friday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman directed banks to conduct regular audits of their cybersecurity systems and data centres and ensure that all digital and core banking infrastructure is fully firewalled and monitored round the clock to prevent breaches or any hostile cyber activity. Neehar Pathare, MD, CEO and CIO, 63SATS Cybertech, said that while traditional warfare has long been defined by physical confrontations, modern conflict is increasingly being waged in the digital domain. The Ukraine conflict and the Israel-Hamas war have both demonstrated how cyberattacks can be used to disrupt vital infrastructure, manipulate narratives, and destabilise entire nations. "We're now seeing a dangerous escalation—where hacktivist groups and state-aligned actors routinely target military systems, government agencies, and critical services,' Pathare said. "Recently, a Pakistani group calling itself 'IOK Hacker' launched a cyber offensive against the Indian Army, disrupting platforms like Army Public School Srinagar's website through DDoS attacks, and attempting to breach the Army Welfare Housing Organisation and the Indian Air Force placement portal," he said, adding these attacks are only going to increase in frequency and sophistication. Cybersecurity and cloud computing company Akamai said it is closely monitoring the notable increase in cyber activity affecting organisations across India, including Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attempts and the use of malicious files in targeted campaigns.
Time of India
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pakistan hackers target armed forces' sites
NEW DELHI: There has been an increase in cyberattacks emanating from Pakistan, as ceasefire violations by small arms fire continue along the Line of Control (LoC) for the last six days following the Pahalgam terror attack. Pakistan-based cyber actors have tried to deface pages and harvest personal information from a few welfare and educational websites of the armed forces, which are publicly accessible, but prompt restorative action was taken to isolate and thwart the attempts. This came after Pakistan-based hackers, operating under the moniker " IOK Hacker - Internet of Khilafah", sought to deface pages, disrupt on-line services and harvest personal information from websites and portals run by the Army Welfare Housing Organisation, IAF Placement Organisation, Army Public Schools at Srinagar and Ranikhet. "India's cyber-security architecture detected the intrusions in real time and quickly traced their origin to Pakistan. All the websites under attack were promptly isolated and restorative action was undertaken. No operational or classified networks were affected," he said.
Mint
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Pakistan-based actors' bid to violate India's cyberspace foiled; 'IOK Hacker' tries to deface pages, steal personal data
Once again, Pakistan has reportedly failed in its latest attempt to violate India's cyberspace and target publicly accessible websites. After finding mission-critical national networks impenetrable, Pakistan-based cyber actors have redirected their efforts towards welfare and educational websites. Operating under the moniker "IOK Hacker" - Internet of Khilafah, the group tried to deface pages, disrupt online services and harvest personal data. But India's layered cyber security architecture detected the intrusions in real time and quickly traced their origin to Pakistan. According to news agency ANI citing sources, intelligence assessments have confirmed four related incidents. The websites of Army Public School (APS) Srinagar and APS Ranikhet were both targeted with inflammatory propaganda. APS Srinagar also faced a distributed-denial-of-service assault. An attempted breach of the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) database was likewise detected, while a concurrent effort was made to compromise the Indian Air Force Placement Organisation portal. All four sites were promptly isolated, and restorative action was undertaken; no operational or classified networks were affected at any stage, the ANI report said. The cyber attacks from Pakistani groups increased in recent days after 26 tourists were killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22. Indian Army has effectively responded to the Pakistan Army's unprovoked small arms firing across the Line of Control (LoC) on the night of April 28-29 in areas opposite Kupwara and Baramulla districts as well as in the Akhnoor sector in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian troops responded swiftly and effectively to the unprovoked small arms firing by the Pakistan Army, said the Indian Army. This is the fifth consecutive day of India's effective retaliation since the Pakistan Army's unprovoked firing on the night of 25-26. Meanwhile, security forces have intensified anti-terror operations in the Kashmir valley in the aftermath of the Phalgam terror attack. On Monday morning, the Jammu and Kashmir Police carried out raids at 13 locations in the Doda district to bust terrorist hideouts and take action against individuals linked to terror activities. First Published: 29 Apr 2025, 11:23 PM IST
New Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Pakistan- based hackers target Armed Forces' websites, India foils repeated attempts
NEW DELHI: Websites associated with the Indian Armed Forces were subjected to cyber attacks involving hacking and page defacement. The incidents took place in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which claimed 26 lives. Sources pointed to "Pakistan-based cyber actors" who, "not content after executing the Pahalgam terrorist attack and violating the ceasefire on the LoC daily," redirected their efforts towards publicly accessible welfare and educational websites after finding mission-critical national networks impenetrable. Operating under the moniker "IOK Hacker" – Internet of Khilafah – the group aimed to deface pages, disrupt online services, and harvest personal information. India's layered cyber-security architecture detected the intrusions in real time and quickly traced their origin to Pakistan, said the source. According to intelligence assessments, there were four confirmed incidents. The websites of Army Public School (APS) Srinagar and APS Ranikhet were both targeted with inflammatory propaganda; APS Srinagar also faced a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. An attempted breach of the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) database was also detected, while a concurrent effort was made to compromise the Indian Air Force Placement Organisation portal. All four sites were promptly isolated, and restorative action was undertaken. No operational or classified networks were affected at any stage. 'These frustrated attempts highlight both the adversary's intent and its limitations,' the source added. The attacks came a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs recommended banning or blocking websites and YouTube channels originating from Pakistan. On Monday, including Dawn News, Samaa TV, ARY News, Geo News, and others, in India. The action was taken for disseminating provocative and communally sensitive content, false and misleading narratives, and misinformation against India, its Army, and security agencies in the backdrop of the tragic Pahalgam terror incident in Jammu and Kashmir, said sources.
India Today
29-04-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Indian Army foils Pak-based actors' cyberspace breach attempt
Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack, a cyberattack by a Pakistani group named "IOK Hacker" targeting the Indian Army was successfully foiled, officials group had attempted to breach multiple public-facing websites, including those of Army Public School Srinagar and Ranikhet, the database of Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) and the Indian Air Force's placement the Indian Army's cybersecurity framework, equipped with real-time monitoring systems and a robust digital firewall, effectively intercepted all intrusion attempts. The four websites were immediately secured, and the restoration process began. No damage was reported to any sensitive or operational network during this the targets, the Army Public School Srinagar website faced the most aggressive attack, including a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) strike that briefly disrupted its services. However, cybersecurity teams were able to stabilise the system without major Indian Army has been reiterating that it is constantly upgrading its cyber preparedness. The Army said that its objective is not only to safeguard operational systems but also to protect every digital platform linked to soldiers and their comes after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed when terrorists opened fire in Baisaran meadow. Following the attack, India initiated many countermeasures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Water also banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, including some leading channels like Dawn News, Samaa TV, Ary News, and Geo News.
