Keralam govt website hacked; Pakistan flag, pro-Pakistan messages seen

Thiruvananthapuram: A Keralam government website was hacked, with the homepage of the General Administration Department’s official portal replaced by Pakistan-linked messages and imagery, raising questions over the security of government digital infrastructure.

The website, gad.Kerala.gov.in, was found displaying the Pakistani national flag along with pro-Pakistan content after the apparent cyberattack. The altered page also carried references to groups and identities associated with Pakistan-based hacking activity, including “We Are Pakistani Hackers”, “Pakistan Zindabad” and “Pak Cyber Thunders”.

The hackers replaced the department’s regular homepage with the Pakistani flag and a message celebrating Pakistan. The defacement appeared to indicate that the attackers had gained control over the website’s interface.

However, it remains unclear whether the intrusion was limited to the homepage or whether the attackers managed to penetrate the underlying server, database or other parts of the government system. The website is currently inaccessible.

An attempt to access the portal showed that the account had been suspended. It is also possible that authorities took the website offline after detecting the breach as a precautionary measure.

A group calling itself Team Black Leets has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, there has been no independent confirmation establishing that the group was behind the hacking.

The incident highlights the vulnerability of official government websites to cyberattacks and the potential risks posed by unauthorised access to public digital infrastructure. Further investigation will be required to determine the extent of the breach, whether any government data was accessed or compromised, and how the attackers obtained control of the website.

The General Administration Department website remained unavailable following the incident.