GeneralIndian sites prone to Pakistani hacks during big events, cricket matches

Indian sites prone to Pakistani hacks during big events, cricket matches

The India-Pakistan enmity has reached new heights of rivalry with groups on both sides of the border launching cyber attacks on the other. A new report out of the US alleges that Indian websites are more likely to get hacked by Pakistani groups during high-profile events and anniversaries such as Independence Day, 26/11 or a cricket match.

The ‘Hactivist: India vs Pakistan’ report by cyber intelligence firm Recorded Future gives the example of a March 2014 cricket match where Pakistan had defeated India. This had resulted in the Pakistan Cyber Army (PCA) attacking the Swami Vivekanand Subharti University’s site because it had expelled pro-Pakistan students.

Hacker Representational Image

Recorded Future predicts a cyber-attack will take place on March 19 2016 when the two countries are set to meet next. The PCA has been an active player in these activities since 2007, having defaced several sites like the Indian Railways, the Kerala government’s portal, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Central Bank of India.

The researchers found out that the PCA publicly posts tutorials on how to hack an Indian website on social networking sites like Facebook. As for Indian hactivists, the cyber security company says the latest activity on their side had occurred on 2nd January 2016 in retaliation for the attack on the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot.

Also See: IRS website taken down by suspected Pakistani hackers

The Indian Black Hats had claimed responsibility for this assault. Similarly, the Mallu Cyber Soldiers had also launched an attack in repose to the defacement of the Kerala government’s site. The report indicates that the factions behind this could range from loosely associated hacktivist groups to state-sponsored ones.

The Income Tax department’s Indian Revenue Service (IRS) site was recently hacked on February 6 by suspected Pakistani groups. While no vital data was accessed, the people behind it posted slogans like ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and ‘we are team Pak cyber attacker’.

Related Articles

Latest Posts