Pak hacker group claims to have breached defence sites

NEW DELHI: The website of Armoured Vehicles Nigam Limited (AVNL), a defence public sector undertaking that manufactures tanks and armoured vehicles, was taken down on Monday for a thorough audit after a Pakistani hacker group called Pakistan Cyber Force claimed to have defaced it by posting images of a Pakistani flag and a tank, officials aware of the matter said.

AVNL is one of the seven new defence companies carved out of the erstwhile Ordnance Factory Board four years ago.

“As a precautionary measure, the AVNL website has been taken offline for a thorough and deliberate audit to assess the extent of any potential damage caused by the defacement attempt and to ensure the integrity of the website,” said one of the officials, asking not to be named.

The AVNL website wasn’t accessible at the time this report was filed. The development comes at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan have peaked in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terror strike.

The Pakistani group also claimed to have accessed sensitive data of the Military Engineer Services and the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. The latter, however, denied the cyberattack and its website was fully functional.

The MES website, however, could not be accessed.

Some claims suggest that the attackers may have compromised personal information of people, including their login credentials, the official said.

While the extent of the alleged breach is yet to be officially confirmed by Indian authorities, the officials said cybersecurity experts and agencies are actively monitoring cyberspace to detect cyberattacks, particularly those that may be sponsored by Pakistan.

“The ongoing surveillance aims to quickly identify and mitigate any future risks posed by these cyber attackers,” said another official.

Monday’s alleged hacking is the second such attempt by Pakistan-sponsored hackers. Last week, they made a series of unsuccessful attempts to breach Indian websites, targeting digital platforms linked to children, veterans, and welfare services.

The groups, identified as “Cyber Group HOAX1337” and “National Cyber Crew,” attempted to deface the websites of army schools in Nagrota and Sunjuwan.

Appropriate measures are being taken to bolster the security infrastructure, strengthen digital defences, and safeguard against further intrusion attempts, the officials said.

These efforts are focused on enhancing the overall resilience of online platforms and ensuring that the forces are better prepared to defend against future cyber threats, they added.