In a fresh wave of cyber tensions, Pakistani hackers, for a brief moment, hacked and defaced the website of Republic World. It is a media outlet that is led by Arnab Goswami, who is famous for being a controversial anchor. He is also famous for his harsh stance against Pakistan. The attackers posted a threatening message, claiming the capability to retaliate with “force that exceeds all expectations.”
The Republic world said to its viewers:
“Pakistan sympathizers have attacked the Republic World’s website. The message that the hackers had posted read, “We possess the necessary resources and expertise to retaliate with a level of force that exceeds all expectations.”
The message also contained foul language. The attack appears to be an attempt to intimidate Indians. However, Pakistan has not succeeded in its attempt. It was only able to hack the website partially. With such childish attempts, it certainly won’t succeed in intimidating Indians.”
Republic World being hacked is a retaliation against India amidst the rapid growth in digital tensions between India and Pakistan.
The hackers supposedly planted the Pakistani flag on the website of Indian news channel “Republic World” and took important data. They not only planted the Pakistani flag on the website, but they also embedded the watermark on the website.
The campaign, according to sources, is a direct reaction to recent cyberattacks by Indian organizations and claims of human rights abuses in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
Recently, Pakistan launched a string of high-impact cyberattacks on Saturday that seriously disrupted important components of India’s digital infrastructure.
This breach follows Operation Salar, a cyber campaign launched earlier this week in which Pakistani hackers claimed to take control of four Indian websites.
Republic World, a high-profile Indian news site, is a symbolic target. While the hack was only temporarily successful and was quickly addressed, it has raised concerns about the intensifying digital cold war between the two nations.
