Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has announced that Pakistani law enforcement agencies (LEA) have discovered a major cyber attack by Indian intelligence agencies in the country.
In a statement on Wednesday, ISPR said Indian intelligence agencies planned to use cyber attacks to target cell phones and devices belonging to government officials and military personnel.
The military's media department said the cyber attack involved "a number of cyber crimes, including fraudulent counterfeiting, by hacking into the personal cell phones and technical devices of government officials and military personnel."
An Inter-Service Public Relations statement further said that an advisory would be sent to all authorities and institutions to identify errors and improve existing cybersecurity measures.
You May Also Like: Top 15 AI technologies which are changing human life
The Indian intelligence apparatus has been involved in a variety of cyber crimes, including fraudulent counterfeiting by hacking personal cell phones and technical devices used by civil servants and military personnel.
The statement also stated that several targets for the attack were being investigated and that the military "has further strengthened the necessary measures to prevent such activities" and that measures are being taken against breaches of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for cybersecurity.
Indian hackers' attempts to hack Pakistani websites, including those of the government and financial institutions, have increased in recent days.
The last major cyber attack reported in the country was in late 2018, when several banks were targeted. In the attack, BankIslami lost 2.6 million rupees, while the international financial system reported a robbery of $ 6 million (795 million rupees).
After the cyber attack, some banks temporarily or completely suspended international payment systems for their debit and credit cards to prevent further fraud.
A study group on IT and telecommunications had previously warned of the growing threat of cyber-terrorism and the need for cybersecurity to secure services and infrastructures in the country.
The group had said the growth of cyberspace, proliferation and severity of cyber attacks posed a serious threat to our economy and national security, adding that “we should have both military and civilian cyber command to tackle cyberspace to tackle growing cyber threats.
We must act now to ensure the privacy and security of individuals against cyber attacks. "
