Earlier this week, the Rajasthan education department's official website was hacked, with a statement ridiculing the Indian government over Pakistan's detention of Indian Air Force commander Abhinandan Varthaman in 2019. The hackers attacked the homepage with a provocative message and added objectionable content regarding the recent Pahalgam terror attack.
As soon as the breach was discovered, Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar directed the department's IT team to promptly restore the website. The site has since been temporarily taken offline to allow for a full restoration to its original state.
“The department has alerted cyber security agencies, and a detailed investigation has begun to identify the perpetrators behind the cyber attack and assess the extent of the potential data compromise," stated Dilawar.
He went on to say that no proof of sensitive data leakage had been discovered thus far. However, the entire system is currently undergoing an extensive test to verify security and integrity. Earlier in the day, the hijacked site's homepage had the message "Fantastic Tea Club Pakistan Cyber Force," as well as alarming content regarding the April 22 terror incident in Pahalgam, which killed 26 people, the majority of whom were tourists.
The message's reference to the 2019 incident with Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman seems to be an intentional attempt to mock India. Varthaman's MiG-21 Bison was shot down by Pakistan during a dogfight in February 2019 when it attempted to attack military sites in Jammu and Kashmir by breaching Indian airspace. This action was taken in response to India's airstrike on the largest terror training centre of Jaish-e-Mohammed at Balakot, Pakistan.
The IAF officer was apprehended and detained in Pakistan for more than two days before being repatriated to India. The Pakistani military has released many videos of him in captivity. In one of the videos, the cop was seen calmly sipping tea and replying politely to questions, including one about the tea, to which he famously remarked, "The tea is fantastic." Authorities continue to investigate the intrusion, and efforts to properly restore and safeguard the education department's website are ongoing.