AgenciesCentral and state cybersecurity agencies are on high alert as escalating Indo-Pakistan tensions are expected to fuel major cyber threats and misinformation campaigns over the next few days.
Early signs of heightened threat activity have already emerged across utilities such as oil and gas, electricity grids, and telecom networks, particularly in states bordering conflict zones and the national capital, cybersecurity experts tracking the events told ET.
On Wednesday morning, soon after India carried out a series of air strikes on terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan, cybersecurity consultants and digital forensics teams issued advisories to banks, stock exchanges, and key digital public platforms like Aadhaar and UPI, urging immediate shutdown of non-essential systems and ramped-up vigilance.
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE have temporarily restricted access to their website for international users.
Access has been restricted since 1 pm on Tuesday. However, if there is any specific request from a client then exchanges are considering it, people aware of the development said.
“The cyber threat was particularly very high yesterday. The restriction for foreign IP (Internet protocol) addresses will continue until further notice,” one of them told ET.
The stock exchanges took the decision after consulting market regulator Sebi, sources said.
“BSE being a critical market infrastructure institution (MII) proactively and continuously monitors risks at domestic and international level for potential cyber threats,” a BSE spokesperson said. “Based on such monitoring of cyber traffic, as a precautionary and protective measure, websites / locations are blocked to protect users and systems. The monitoring is dynamic and access is restored on a case-to-case basis subject to assessment of the threat.”
NSE declined to comment.
Tarun Wig, cofounder and CEO of Delhi-based information security provider Innefu Labs, said, “Given the tit-for-tat nature of these cyber exchanges, we assess that tensions are likely to remain high or even intensify.”
Innefu Labs’ clients include the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) among others.
“India’s cyber defence agencies have rapidly mobilised,” Wig said. “CERT-In and other cells are on high alert, implementing system hardening and AI-enabled monitoring. Real-time intrusion detection and incident response have been scaled up.”
According to Kaspersky’s Cyberthreat Live Map, India has experienced a noticeable surge in cyberattacks since May 5, 2025.
Experts warn that the fallout could surpass the cyber impact seen after the 2019 Pulwama attack, with recent detections of sophisticated malware and spear-phishing campaigns, suggesting a well-coordinated offensive.
Security analysts note that offensive cyber operations often mirror geopolitical flare-ups, so further spikes in hacking incidents are expected.
ET had earlier reported that Indo-Pak tensions since the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 have turned into a cyber battlefield as hacktivist groups such as ‘Team Insane PK’ and 'India Cyber Force' claim to have breached and defaced government and private websites.
In the last 24 hours, an Indian cyber group has claimed to hack Pakistan’s surveillance network gaining control over 1000+ cameras across schools, ATMs, etc.
Indian officials said they have thwarted multiple attacks during the last few days from Pakistan. For instance, Maharashtra Cyber Police thwarted one million attacks within a span of eight days.
Misinformation campaigns are also on the rise.
Fake AI-generated videos of Line of Control (LoC) victims are being widely circulated on WhatsApp and Telegram, with fraudsters exploiting the situation to solicit donations. Malicious .pdf documents have also surfaced online linked to phishing pages replicating legitimate government sites.
“Pakistani hacker groups like ‘IOK Hacker’ and their state-aligned APT36 (transparent tribe) have launched a series of attacks lately,” said Amit Jaju, partner and India head at New York-based Ankura Consulting Group.
These attacks have had minimal impact against India's advanced defences, he said.
“Several state agencies have also discovered China-linked AI-generated videos, which are circulating on messaging platforms to lure citizens into making donations,” Jaju added.
Vijender Yadav, cofounder and CEO of digital security company Accops, said, “In light of recent geopolitical developments, organisations are increasingly aware of the heightened risk landscape, including targeted cyberattacks and misinformation campaigns.”
#Pahalgam Terrorist Attack
On Wednesday morning, soon after India carried out a series of air strikes on terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan, cybersecurity consultants and digital forensics teams issued advisories to banks, stock exchanges, and key digital public platforms like Aadhaar and UPI, urging immediate shutdown of non-essential systems and ramped-up vigilance.
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE have temporarily restricted access to their website for international users.
Access has been restricted since 1 pm on Tuesday. However, if there is any specific request from a client then exchanges are considering it, people aware of the development said.
“The cyber threat was particularly very high yesterday. The restriction for foreign IP (Internet protocol) addresses will continue until further notice,” one of them told ET.
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The stock exchanges took the decision after consulting market regulator Sebi, sources said.
“BSE being a critical market infrastructure institution (MII) proactively and continuously monitors risks at domestic and international level for potential cyber threats,” a BSE spokesperson said. “Based on such monitoring of cyber traffic, as a precautionary and protective measure, websites / locations are blocked to protect users and systems. The monitoring is dynamic and access is restored on a case-to-case basis subject to assessment of the threat.”
NSE declined to comment.
Tarun Wig, cofounder and CEO of Delhi-based information security provider Innefu Labs, said, “Given the tit-for-tat nature of these cyber exchanges, we assess that tensions are likely to remain high or even intensify.”
Innefu Labs’ clients include the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) among others.
“India’s cyber defence agencies have rapidly mobilised,” Wig said. “CERT-In and other cells are on high alert, implementing system hardening and AI-enabled monitoring. Real-time intrusion detection and incident response have been scaled up.”
According to Kaspersky’s Cyberthreat Live Map, India has experienced a noticeable surge in cyberattacks since May 5, 2025.
Experts warn that the fallout could surpass the cyber impact seen after the 2019 Pulwama attack, with recent detections of sophisticated malware and spear-phishing campaigns, suggesting a well-coordinated offensive.
Security analysts note that offensive cyber operations often mirror geopolitical flare-ups, so further spikes in hacking incidents are expected.
ET had earlier reported that Indo-Pak tensions since the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 have turned into a cyber battlefield as hacktivist groups such as ‘Team Insane PK’ and 'India Cyber Force' claim to have breached and defaced government and private websites.
In the last 24 hours, an Indian cyber group has claimed to hack Pakistan’s surveillance network gaining control over 1000+ cameras across schools, ATMs, etc.
Indian officials said they have thwarted multiple attacks during the last few days from Pakistan. For instance, Maharashtra Cyber Police thwarted one million attacks within a span of eight days.
Misinformation campaigns are also on the rise.
Fake AI-generated videos of Line of Control (LoC) victims are being widely circulated on WhatsApp and Telegram, with fraudsters exploiting the situation to solicit donations. Malicious .pdf documents have also surfaced online linked to phishing pages replicating legitimate government sites.
“Pakistani hacker groups like ‘IOK Hacker’ and their state-aligned APT36 (transparent tribe) have launched a series of attacks lately,” said Amit Jaju, partner and India head at New York-based Ankura Consulting Group.
These attacks have had minimal impact against India's advanced defences, he said.
“Several state agencies have also discovered China-linked AI-generated videos, which are circulating on messaging platforms to lure citizens into making donations,” Jaju added.
Vijender Yadav, cofounder and CEO of digital security company Accops, said, “In light of recent geopolitical developments, organisations are increasingly aware of the heightened risk landscape, including targeted cyberattacks and misinformation campaigns.”
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