The April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives in Jammu and Kashmir, has marked a dangerous escalation in tensions between India and Pakistan. While cross-border firing has continued for seven consecutive days along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara, Uri, and Akhnoor, a parallel conflict is unfolding online — one that is harder to detect, trace, and retaliate against.
In the immediate aftermath of the terror strike, several Indian digital assets came under attack. On April 25, the Army College of Nursing’s website was hacked. A provocative message in English and Urdu, filled with religious propaganda and hostile references to the Two-Nation Theory, was posted by the attackers. The tone echoed recent statements by Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir, who reignited ideological divides in a controversial speech believed to have catalyzed the Pahalgam incident.
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Soon after, cyberattacks targeted Army Public School Srinagar, Army Public School Ranikhet, and attempted to breach the Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) and Indian Air Force Placement Organisation portals. These attacks involved website defacement, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, and attempted database intrusions. The hackers also posted inflammatory messages mocking India’s security establishment and referencing the 2019 capture of IAF officer Abhinandan Varthaman.
Meet the Cyber Adversaries: Team Insane PK, Transparent Tribe, and Internet of Khilafah
At the forefront of these digital offensives is a known group called Team Insane PK, a pro-Pakistani hacker collective. The group claimed responsibility for the defacement of the Army College of Nursing website. Intelligence reports and cybersecurity analysts believe the group is behind over 2,400 attacks under the campaign #OpIndia, including high-profile disruptions ahead of the 2023 G20 Summit and the hacking of Burger Singh’s official website.
Another group, Internet of Khilafah (IOK), has been linked to the hacking of government portals, spreading jihadi narratives and anti-India propaganda. These groups often use basic vulnerabilities in public-facing websites to gain access, leaving behind symbolic messages designed to sow discord and incite fear.
Additionally, APT36 (Transparent Tribe) — a well-documented Pakistan-based Advanced Persistent Threat group — has deployed sophisticated tools like CrimsonRAT and MeshAgent via phishing campaigns. A PDF file titled “Report & Update Regarding Pahalgam Terror Attack” was flagged by cybersecurity firm Quick Heal, tied to a spoofed domain: indiadefencedepartment[.]link. These fake portals are crafted to mimic official Indian government sites and lure users into downloading malware.
Cybersecurity firms like BlackBerry and Seqrite have repeatedly traced the activities of Transparent Tribe to Pakistan’s cyber-espionage apparatus, targeting India’s military, aerospace, and educational sectors for over a decade.
Psychological Warfare and Digital Propaganda: The New Face of Conflict
While these cyberattacks have not resulted in the loss of classified data, Indian intelligence agencies warn of their symbolic and strategic value. “These were public-facing platforms. When national defense networks proved impenetrable, they targeted softer, more visible sites,” said an official familiar with ongoing investigations.
The messaging behind these attacks is deliberately psychological — slogans such as “The next hit won’t be bullets — it’ll be bytes” were prominently displayed on hacked websites. Messages painted the Pahalgam attack as an “inside job”, furthering disinformation narratives and fostering distrust within Indian audiences.
Cybersecurity experts, including Sundareshwar Krishnamurthy from PwC India, call this a classic case of geopolitical hybrid warfare — where physical and digital attacks are synchronized to amplify impact. “Cyberattacks are no longer fringe acts of disruption… They have become deliberate extensions of geopolitical strategy,” he said. Adding to the alarm is a reported 10–15% surge in malicious advertisements bearing the Pakistani flag on OTT platforms — another tool to subtly inject propaganda into Indian digital spaces.
As of now, investigations are underway by Indian cyber units, with active efforts to trace the origin of the attacks, block phishing domains, and enhance multi-layered cybersecurity measures across government institutions. Authorities emphasize the urgent need for resilience-building, especially in public sector portals, which often lack advanced defenses.