'Anonymous Pakistan': Hacking spree continues, PTI sites targeted

Published September 7, 2014
Screengrab of defaced http://fundyourtsunami.com/
Screengrab of defaced http://fundyourtsunami.com/

Attacks continued on Pakistani websites related to the government and security forces across Saturday and Sunday. The attacks included DDOS attacks leaving sites inaccessible, and defacement of target pages with derogatory messages, largely connected to the ongoing political crisis and the Model Town tragedy.

A network of hackers claiming to be a part of Anonymous — the global hacktivist network — leads the ongoing campaign.

The groups, going under the names ASOR Hack Team and Anonymous Op Pakistan, have so far hacked into multiple websites and leaked private data of government employees and security forces as par of their 'hacktivism' campaign that closely mirrors the ongoing PTI/PAT protests.

Surprisingly however, the hackers network opted to target websites connected to the PTI on Sunday. Attacked sites included http://www.fundyourtsunami.com/ and http://fundyourtsunami.insaf.pk/.

Messages on the sites targeted PTI Chairman Imran Khan and called on site administrators to work on their security systems as, "our fight is not against any individual, but the system as a whole".

The hackers have claimed they have no specific target as part of their political agenda.

The group has also pledged it will continue attacks.

In a more recent move, the 'hacktivists' appear to have ended their campaign against the Pakistan Army, sharing messages in favour of the institution across Defence Day.

The group of hackers have also shared multiple messages in support of Retd General Pervez Musharraf.

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Recent attacks


  • The official website of Ministry of Interior was hacked on Saturday night. Defacing the website (www.interior.gov.pk), the hackers posted offensive remarks against Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. According to a source in the interior ministry, the website was hacked hours after Chaudhry Nisar’s press conference at the Punjab House. The hacked website also carries doctored photos of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Punjab’s former law minister Rana Sanaullah.

  • The Government Of Pakistan website http://pakistan.gov.pk was attacked and rendered inaccessible till the filing of this report.

  • The District Courts Gujranwala website was allegedly attacked http://gujranwala.dc.lhc.gov.pk but was up and running shortly after.

  • The websites of Jaag TV, CNBC Pakistan and Samaa FM were hacked and defaced with derogatory images targeting PPP, PML-N and JUI-F politicians.


Earlier attacks


  • An unofficial PML-N website http://www.pmln.us was hacked and defaced with political messages related to the handling of the Model Town tragedy. The website was restored.

  • The Faisalabad Police Department website http://www.faisalabadpolice.gov.pk was hacked and private data leaked online, including usernames, passwords and the names/CNICs/addresses/contact information of employees.

  • The T20 section of Pakistan Television's sport website sports.ptv.com.pk/t20 was defaced with 'Go Nawaz Go' messages, only to be restored hours later. Another message on the page read: "The desks that are being thumped on the face of the Pakistani people are a testimony that this gang can only get together to rescue its politics...the poor will continue to die in hunger and load-shedding."

  • Usernames, passwords and email addresses, allegedly from hacks into the Pakistan Army and other government websites, were leaked onto the internet. The link to the data dumps are currently blocked in Pakistan, but screengrabs circulating online show private data including names, contact information and worryingly, designations of a sensitive nature including arms manufacturers. Messages included with the leaked data said the attacks were taking place because the Pakistan Army was carrying out an operation in North Waziristan.

  • At the start of their campaign, the group of hackers temporarily brought down numerous government portals in a bid to "remove every vestige of the Pakistan government from the Internet".

  • The group leaked a zip file containing 23,000 bank records allegedly connected to the government. The zip file contained a document that stated the leak was carried out by ASOR Hack Team.

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