The Cabinet Division has issued an official advisory to all federal divisions amid growing concerns of a possible Indian cyber attack, warning of a recent phishing campaign aimed at compromising Pakistani officials.
According to the advisory, the cyber threat is allegedly linked to the Indian threat actor group “SideWinder,” which has reportedly been active in targeting Pakistan for the past several years.
The campaign involves phishing emails designed to trick government officials into revealing sensitive information.
The advisory warned that some of these malicious emails falsely appear to originate from Pakistan’s own cybersecurity directorates to gain credibility and deceive recipients.
Authorities have been instructed to remain vigilant and enhance cybersecurity protocols.
The advisory called for the implementation of advanced email filtering solutions, malware detection systems, and spam checks to block phishing attempts.
Officials have also been urged to train personnel across departments to recognise and avoid phishing and social engineering attacks, particularly those that appear to come from internal or high-level sources.
The Cabinet Division emphasised the need for coordinated efforts to safeguard sensitive government data against hostile cyber actors, especially those backed by foreign entities.
