In a disturbing cyber incident, the official website of the Army College of Nursing was hacked on Friday, just days after the devastating terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives. The attack has been linked to the Pakistan-based hacker group “Team Insane PK,” known for targeting Indian digital infrastructure in the past.
The hackers defaced the homepage of the college’s website with an inflammatory message invoking the controversial two-nation theory, escalating tensions between India and Pakistan at a time of heightened diplomatic strain.
According to official sources, the Army College of Nursing functions as an autonomous institution under the Army Welfare Education Society (AWES). The institution is expected to coordinate with the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) to investigate and recover from the breach.
Escalating Tensions Post Pahalgam Attack
This cyber attack follows India’s strong response to the April 22 terror attack, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty and expelling Pakistan’s defence attachés. India also revoked most Pakistani visas and gave non-citizen Pakistani nationals 72 hours to leave the country.
Pakistan retaliated by suspending key bilateral agreements and closing its airspace to Indian aircraft, further deepening the diplomatic standoff.
History of Cyber Attacks
Team Insane PK has a notorious track record of launching distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and defacing websites of Indian institutions. Their previous targets include government portals, educational institutions, and private businesses.
The group first gained widespread attention in 2024 after hacking into the website of popular food chain Burger Singh, reacting to a promotional code titled “FPak20.” Not only did they deface the site, but they also created a digital graffiti wall mocking the company’s marketing choices.
Burger Singh had responded to the incident with humor and resilience, posting on social media that they were “not losing sleep” over the hack and had kept the graffiti live for a day as a tongue-in-cheek “open mic night for hackers.”
Ongoing Investigation
Security experts warn that such cyber attacks are not just digital pranks but a form of hybrid warfare, especially when orchestrated in the aftermath of high-profile terror incidents. The CERT-In team is expected to initiate a thorough probe to trace the origin of the attack and bolster cybersecurity measures for other defence-linked institutions.
The Indian government has not yet issued an official statement regarding the latest breach, but sources suggest the incident will be raised in ongoing cyber defence strategy reviews.
