Reports have emerged detailing a cyber attack on approximately 50 government websites across several Indian states, including Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Mizoram, and Telangana. Among the affected sites were those belonging to police departments and tax services, which were compromised to promote online casinos and betting platforms.
The incident has prompted an investigation by the country's cybersecurity agency, CERT-In, to ascertain the extent of the breach and identify the perpetrators. Despite ongoing efforts, key details such as the method of infiltration, duration of the unauthorized advertisements, and subsequent remediation measures remain unclear.
Visitors accessing the compromised websites were unexpectedly redirected to advertisements promoting "the most popular" online betting platforms in Asia or the leading cricket betting application in India. The fraudulent links, surreptitiously embedded within the government portals, were further disseminated through indexing by major search engines like Google, amplifying their visibility and reach.
This cyber attack follows a similar incident in February, wherein over 300 Indian government websites fell victim to unauthorized intrusions.
