Prophet row: International hackers launch series of cyber attacks on India against Nupur Sharma’s statement

The Malaysia-based hacktivist group DragonForce has launched a series of cyber attacks against the Indian government over Nupur Sharma's remark on Prophet Muhammad.

Following recent remarks by suspended BJP spokesperson, Nupur Sharma, about Prophet Muhammad, the Malaysia-based hacktivist group DragonForce has launched a series of cyber attacks against the Indian government. Sharma made some remarks about Prophet Muhammad during a panel discussion about the Gyanvapi Mosque survey, hosted by a television news channel, which offended many people around the world. Soon after, she apologised on Twitter.

The hacking group has launched a campaign OpsPatuk which translates to “strike back”, against the Indian government. It is also seeking help from "Muslim Hackers From All Over The World, Human Rights Organizations, and Activists (sic)".

Religiously and politically motivated campaigns, such as OpsPatuk, can result in a breach of some sensitive government websites containing Personal Identifiable Information (PII), military operations, and other government secrets, which, in the wrong hands, can enable targeted attacks on the country and its citizens.

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Cyber experts predict that the intensity and volume of such attacks on Indian entities are only going to increase, and the government and enterprises should ensure adequate safety measures to secure their digital properties.

In its research on June 10, Bengaluru-based cyber security firm, CloudSEK, discovered a tweet posted by a Malaysian hacktivist group known as DragonForce, calling for attacks on Indian government websites by Muslim hackers all over the world.

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