From terror to tech: Indo-Pak cyber tensions surge after Pahalgam

On 22 April 2025, a brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, left 26 civilians dead, many of them tourists. Indian authorities have attributed the attack to Lashkar-e-Taiba and its affiliated groups, allegedly operating from Pakistani soil. Pakistan, as expected, denied any involvement. The diplomatic fallout has been swift and severe, with both nuclear-armed neighbours on high alert.

While the threat of conventional warfare continues to loom, the evolving nature of conflict suggests that the next front may not lie across borders, but in cyberspace. As terror outfits rely increasingly on digital tools for coordination and radicalisation, India and Pakistan are already locked in a silent, escalating technological confrontation.

Cyber Strikes After Pahalgam

In the immediate aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, Indian intelligence reported cyber intrusion attempts targeting military-linked websites, including the Army Welfare Housing Organisation. These were attributed to Pakistan-based hackers aiming to extract sensitive data.

In response, the Indian hacktivist group—India Cyber Force—claimed to have breached several Pakistani government and corporate systems, including the websites of Euro Oil, the AJK Supreme Court, the University of Balochistan, Wada Call Agency, and Sindh Police. This cyber exchange is the latest chapter in a tit-for-tat dynamic that now defines India–Pakistan cyber relations.

This is not new. Earlier incidents include the hacking of the Indian Army College of Nursing website, where attackers left inflammatory messages laced with religious overtones. The digital domain has become an active and volatile extension of the geopolitical struggle.

The Cyberwarfare Equation

India and Pakistan have been building their offensive and defensive cyber capabilities for over a decade. A 2023 study published in Volume 37 of the National Defence University’s Journal of Pakistan—titled India's Cyber Warfare Capabilities: Repercussions for Pakistan's National Security—highlighted how India’s cyber arsenal could inflict financial losses, political instability, and even disrupt the nuclear deterrence balance.

The paper, authored by Nageen Ashraf and Dr Saima Ashraf Kayani, acknowledged India’s growing strength in cyber operations and its potential to challenge Pakistan’s national security by disrupting critical infrastructure and communication systems.

India’s official stance, echoed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is to push for a global framework that ensures cybersecurity and responsible use of AI. However, this does not preclude the development of aggressive capabilities, which are quietly but systematically being advanced.

Pakistan, for its part, has also ramped up its cyber defences. The recognition that a successful cyberattack can cripple public services, spark misinformation, and fuel radicalisation has led to investments in national cyber protection strategies. This intensifying digital arms race continues to evolve with stealth and speed, unlike the more visible battles of the past.

The Tools of Digital Warfare

Both sides have invested in sophisticated digital espionage and sabotage tools. Pakistani-linked threat actors, notably APT36 (also known as Transparent Tribe), have targeted Indian government and military networks using Remote Access Trojans (RATs) like Crimson, CurlBack, and Spark. According to The Hacker News, these attacks surged in April 2025, particularly in sectors such as defence and telecommunications.

India, too, is not passive. Its offensive cyber capabilities are increasingly coordinated through groups like the India Cyber Force, which recently infiltrated Pakistani police CCTV networks and released footage as proof of deep access. Such public displays of digital infiltration serve both as deterrence and provocation.

Digital Deterrence: The New Arms Race

India’s cyber infrastructure is relatively mature. The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), established in 2004, monitors, responds to, and educates citizens about cyber threats. It also partners with global agencies to boost collective resilience. For military-specific threats, the Defence Cyber Agency (DCA), set up in 2019, provides India with an institutional mechanism for cyber defence and offense.

The country’s cyber policy is also geared towards self-reliance, encouraging local tech development and private sector partnerships.

Pakistan, on the other hand, lags behind, but not without effort. The country’s National Centre for Cyber Security (NCCS), launched in 2018, hosts R&D labs at leading universities. In 2024, Pakistan established PKCERT to protect telecom, energy, and financial systems. The country’s 2023–2028 national cyber strategy focuses on securing 5G infrastructure, deploying AI for threat detection, and developing indigenous tools.

Pakistan’s military, too, is beginning to build specialised cyber units. While India maintains the upper hand in terms of technological capability and international partnerships, Pakistan’s evolving posture signals a long-term shift.

A Cautionary Note for India

The Pahalgam terror attack is a tragic reminder that the region remains volatile. While traditional defence must stay strong, India must also prepare for silent wars waged via code—wars that could disrupt power grids, manipulate financial data, or flood public discourse with divisive propaganda. A major concern is the deliberate use of fake news and psychological operations to trigger communal unrest. As AI-generated content grows increasingly realistic, maintaining digital trust has become a critical challenge.

To address these emerging threats, the Government of India must prioritise the expansion of cybersecurity infrastructure, alongside efforts to enhance digital literacy among citizens. It should also foster greater international collaboration to counter cyberterrorism effectively while investing in robust defences to safeguard critical utilities such as power, water, and banking systems.

Technological Violence: A New Paradigm

As warfare evolves, so too does its arsenal. Today, the most effective weapons may no longer be tanks or missiles, but malware, misinformation, and the manipulation of digital realities. In the context of India and Pakistan, the next major conflict may not be fought with boots on the ground, but across dark web channels, through zero-day vulnerabilities, and within networks riddled with bots.

A successful cyberattack on a critical military, economic, or social system could trigger cascading effects across borders. The consequences would be far-reaching, and their severity demands immediate and serious attention.

The Pahalgam attack has once again brought India and Pakistan dangerously close to open conflict. Yet, beyond the visible threat of conventional war lies a quieter confrontation—one that is unfolding in real time across the digital domain. The cyber battlefield is already active. Just as nuclear deterrence transformed global strategy in the last century, cyber deterrence is poised to redefine it in this one.

To meet this new reality, India must adopt a posture of constant vigilance, technological resilience, and deep international cooperation. The stakes are no longer confined to land or borders—they now encompass the integrity of data, the stability of systems, and the very fabric of societal trust.

In a world where a line of code can trigger a war, national security can no longer afford to relegate cyberspace to the sidelines. It must be brought to the forefront of defence and diplomacy alike.