On Tuesday, the official portal of Rajasthan’s Education Department in India was targeted by hackers. The cybercriminals modified the homepage to display inflammatory messages under the name “Pakistan Cyber Force.” One message falsely claimed the Pahalgam terror attack was an “inside job” orchestrated by the Indian government. Another message aimed to create religious division by labeling the attack as a “false flag” operation.
The attackers also posted offensive comments about Himanshi Narwal, the wife of the late Lieutenant Vinay Narwal. His image, circulating on social media, was featured alongside the controversial remarks. Once the breach was discovered, the website was swiftly taken down for security reasons. Education Minister Madan Dilawar assured that recovery efforts were in progress and cybersecurity agencies were informed.
The department’s IT wing was immediately activated to address the situation. Minister Dilawar confirmed that there had been no reports of sensitive data being leaked. He emphasized that a thorough audit was underway to ensure the security and integrity of all systems. Authorities have launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators and assess the damage caused by the attack.
Cybersecurity experts have raised alarms over the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks on government websites. They warned that over 20 lakh pages linked to various state departments have been compromised. In Rajasthan, over 8 lakh pages from multiple government sectors were affected. Experts are urging the government to implement stronger digital security measures to safeguard its web infrastructure against future threats.
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