JAIPUR: The official portal of Rajasthan's Education Department was targeted in a cyber attack on Tuesday that modified the portal's homepage to display a series of inflammatory messages under the name of 'Pakistan Cyber Force.'
One of the messages claimed that the Pahalgam terror attack was orchestrated internally, calling it an 'inside job.' Another described the incident as a "false flag by the Indian government, designed to incite conflict and religious division."
The hackers also posted offensive comments about Himanshi Narwal, wife of the late Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, whose image sitting beside her husband’s mortal remains were recently circulated widely on social media.
Soon after the breach was discovered, the department's website was taken down.
Education Minister Madan Dilawar condemning the Cyber Attack remarked, "The IT wing of the Education Department has been activated. At present, the website has been temporarily shut down, and recovery efforts are underway at a rapid pace. We have also informed cybersecurity agencies about the incident. An investigation has been launched to identify the group responsible for the cyberattack and to assess the extent of the damage."
"So far, there is no confirmation of any sensitive data being leaked. However, a comprehensive audit of all systems is being conducted to ensure the security and integrity of our data," he further added.
Experts Call for Urgent Cybersecurity Reforms
Cyber experts have raised red flags over the ongoing misuse of government digital assets. They estimate that over 20 lakh pages linked to state departments across the country have been hijacked by cybercriminals. In Rajasthan alone, over 8 lakh such pages are believed to have been compromised, including several from the Home Department and district-level police units.
With cyber threats becoming more sophisticated and frequent, experts stress the urgent need for robust digital security frameworks and better monitoring to protect government web infrastructure.