Days after websites of multiple educational institutions under the Army Welfare Education Society were targeted in a series of cyber offensives, reports have surfaced about other Indian defence websites being hacked and sensitive details leaked.

According to the sources, an X account, “Pakistan Cyber Force”, has claimed that the group has allegedly gained access to sensitive data from the Indian Military Engineering Service and Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis.

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“This claim suggests that the attackers may have compromised personnel information related to defense persons including the login credentials. In addition to this data breach, it has also been reported that the group also attempted to deface the official website of Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited, a PSU company under MoD. The website has been defaced by using the Pakistan flag and Al Khalid tank,” revealed the source.

As a precautionary measure, the website of Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited 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.

Furthermore, cybersecurity experts and agencies are actively monitoring cyberspace to detect any additional cyberattacks, particularly those that may be sponsored by threat actors linked to Pakistan.

In response to the situation, appropriate and necessary measures are being taken to bolster the security infrastructure, strengthen digital defenses, and safeguard against further intrusion attempts, the source added.

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

Earlier, Pakistan-sponsored hacker groups “Cyber Group HOAX1337” and “National Cyber Crew” had targeted the websites of Army Public School Nagrota and Sunjuwan and defaced with messages mocking the victims of the recent Pahalgam terror attack. In another incident, a website catering to ex-servicemen’s healthcare services was defaced signaling Pakistan’s growing frustration.

Earlier, the websites of the Army Institute of Hotel Management and Indian Air Force veterans’ were also hacked. “There have been repeated attempts made by hackers operating from Pakistan to attack websites having linkages to children, old age veterans and other innocent people. Resorting to attacking veterans and families’ platforms reflects another low by Pakistan and their continuous attempt of unethical ways of operating,” the source said, adding “It appears that Pakistan is testing India’s restraint and patience.”