Amid an ongoing surge in cyber offensives, Pakistan-backed hacker groups “HOAX1337” and “National Cyber Crew” attempted to breach Indian websites, but their efforts were swiftly detected and neutralized by Indian cybersecurity agencies.
Hackers recently attempted to deface the websites of Army Public School Nagrota and Sunjuwan with derogatory messages related to the Pahalgam terror attack. A similar incident involved a veterans’ healthcare website being compromised—suggesting increased agitation from Pakistan-based actors.
The cyber attacks on the Army Institute of Hotel Management and Indian Air Force veterans’ platforms further expose Pakistan’s deliberate efforts to provoke and intensify digital conflict. After failing to breach critical national infrastructure, Pakistan shifted its focus on April 29 to targeting publicly accessible welfare and educational websites. Using the alias “IOK Hacker” (Internet of Khilafah), the group attempted to deface websites, disrupt digital services, and steal personal data. India’s multi-tiered cybersecurity defenses detected and neutralized the intrusion in real-time, tracing it back to Pakistan.
Officials confirmed a series of four related cyber events, with APS Srinagar and APS Ranikhet websites being used to spread inflammatory content. Hackers also attempted to breach the Army Welfare Housing Organisation’s systems, while simultaneously targeting the Indian Air Force Placement Organisation, but both efforts were detected and contained.
The affected sites were promptly contained, and recovery protocols were activated—operational and classified systems remained untouched throughout the incident.
