Cyber Samachar
Introduction
In May 2025, the long-standing India-Pakistan rivalry escalated into a multidimensional conflict involving conventional military clashes, drone war, and a major cyber warfare aspect. Operation Sindoor, initiated by India in retaliation for a fatal terrorist attack in Pahalgam, became a turning point during this escalation. The operation not only consisted of precision military attacks but also unleashed a sequence of cyber attacks and propaganda campaigns, showcasing the new nature of war.
Background: Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam Attack
On 22nd April 2025, a terrorist attack occurred in Pahalgam that killed 26 innocent people dead, super grim. The attack was assigned to Pakistan-based militant organizations Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor on 7th May targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation involved missile strikes that destroyed major military assets, including Pakistan’s Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft based at the Bholari airbase near Islamabad.
Cyber Warfare: A New Frontline
After the physical battles, both countries also waged massive cyber warfare, which represented a major change in their conflict patterns.
The old playbook getting a digital rewrite. And then: Cyber war. Not even kidding. Pakistan Unleashes the Keyboard Warriors Pakistani hackers (or, lets be real, whoever they hire on the dark web for five bucks an hour) go after Indian digital stuff.
1. Pakistani Cyber Offensives
Pakistani cyber actors initiated a series of attacks designed to disrupt Indian cyber infrastructure
Phishing Attempts: On May 4 and 5, some unknown people made a cyber-attack on the military police control room in Clement Town cantonment of Dehradun by sending malicious APK files titled “Pakistan-India” and “New SOP”
Disinformation Campaigns: Coordinated campaigns overwhelmed social media with fake stories, such as repurposed photos and videos mislabeled as contemporary happenings. For example, a video falsely claiming to be a Pakistani attack against an Indian army outpost was recorded footage of the 2020 Beirut Port explosion.
Malware and DDoS Attack: Organizations from both sides of the border escalated cyber warfare strategies by launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against Indian government sites and malware to disrupt administrative operations and propagate misinformation.
Defacement Attacks: – Indian government websites were defaced with inflammatory messages.
Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks: – Hacktivist groups bombarded Indian websites with traffic, disrupting operations.
Notable Cyber Attacks and Dates
A . Phishing Attack on Indian Military Police Control Room
Date: May 4-5, 2025
Attack Type: Phishing Attack
Details: Suspicious persons sent malicious APK files with names “Pakistan-India” and “New SOP” to the control room of the military police in Dehradun’s Clement Town cantonment. These files were intended to get unauthorised access to the system.
Source: Times of India
B. Social Media Disinformation Campaign
Date: May 7-10, 2025
Attack Type: Disinformation and Fake Media Distribution
Details: There were several social media handles that disseminated false news and misleading images. One of the most glaring was a video purporting to depict a Pakistani attack on an Indian post, which turned out to be footage from the 2020 Beirut Port explosion.
Source: The Hans India
C. DDoS Attacks against Indian Government Sites
Date: May 8-12, 2025
Attack Type: DDoS Attacks
Details: A few Indian government websites were hit with DDoS attacks, which resulted in temporary disruptions. These attacks were directed at overwhelming the servers so that they became inaccessible to legitimate users.
Source: Devdiscourse
D. Malware Distribution through Email Campaigns
Date: May 10, 2025
Attack Type: Malware Attack (Trojan Distribution)
Details: Spear-phishing emails were sent to Indian government officials with malicious attachments. The malware was directed towards gaining remote access to infected systems.
Source: WarnHack
E. Cyber Retaliation by Indian CERT-In
Date: May 12-15, 2025
Attack Type: Counter-Intrusion and Threat Neutralization
Details: Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) launched countermeasures against Pakistani cyber attacks, detecting and neutralizing several attack vectors and interfering with command-and-control servers of attackers.
Source: WarnHack
F . India’s Fake News Debunking Campaign (PIB)
Date: May 12, 2025, onwards
Attack Type: Counter-Disinformation Campaign
Details: India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) came up with a campaign to spot and debunk Pakistani fake news. This involved unmasking doctored pictures and videos disseminated to spread panic.
Source: Asian Age
2. Indian Cyber Countermeasures
India countered with a strong cyber defense and counter-offensive posture:
CERT-In Activation: The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) deployed emergency measures to deflect intrusions and forestall mass disruptions.
Cyber Retaliation: Indian cyber specialists used AI-powered threat detection tools and performed targeted counter-intrusions that allegedly disabled multiple Pakistani command-and-control servers .
Exposing Disinformation: The Press Information Bureau (PIB) worked hard to burst myths and encouraged citizens to trust official channels, emphasizing the need to fight misinformation in real time .
Conclusion
The implications of Operation Sindoor highlight the growing role of cyber warfare in contemporary conflicts. India and Pakistan have both shown to be capable of launching digital offensives and defenses, an overall trend where cyberspace becomes a decisive front in addition to the conventional military fronts. As technology advances further, cybersecurity and information integrity will remain pivotal to ensuring national security and public confidence.
