A Pakistan-based hacker defaced the website of the National Security Guard (NSG), India’s elite counter-terror and anti-hijacking commando force, with abusive messages on Sunday.

The defacement of the NSG website was noticed on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, and its URL — www.nsg.gov.in — was blocked immediately. Officials said authorities had uploaded very basic information about the commando force onto the website, keeping such cyber threats in view. “We are working with experts from the National Informatics Centre, and corrective steps are being taken,” an NSG official said on the condition of anonymity.

Soi, director of cyber security firm Torrid Networks, said defacement was usually done by “immature” hackers for publicity. They usually strike on occasions such as year-end holidays, when there is minimal presence of staffers, he added. “Serious hackers, on the other hand, go digging for sensitive information from cyber infrastructures by installing malware or similar tracking programs in the system,” said Soi.

Read More…