By Ashwani Mishra, Editor-Technology, 63SATS
In a massive blow to Uttarakhandâs IT infrastructure, a sophisticated cyberattack disabled over 90 critical government websites, including the Chief Minister’s helpline and essential online services, leaving the state’s entire public administration in chaos.
The attack, which took place early Thursday morning, compromised the Chief Minister’s Office, the Uttarakhand Police, and other vital departments, halting work across government offices, secretariats, and public services.
According to Rajya Sameeksha, this cyber onslaught was of such magnitude that even the stateâs secure internet services and primary data centers were breached, exposing vulnerabilities in the governmentâs defenses.
This breach forced the state-run “Apni Sarkar” website, which offers over 800 public services, to go completely offline, causing significant disruption for the more than 1.75 million residents of Uttarakhand who rely on these services.
Public Services Brought to a Halt
The attack rendered vital e-office systems non-functional across districts, causing a complete shutdown of operations. Even services like land registry and public grievance redressal through the CM helpline were severely impacted, leaving citizens frustrated and critical government functions at a standstill.
The attack also targeted State Wide Area Network (UK SWAN), a crucial component of the state’s IT infrastructure, affecting secure data transfers and bringing digital administration to a screeching halt.
Cybersecurity Teams Race to Restore Services
By late Thursday evening, the team managed to partially restore the UK SWAN system, and data recovery efforts continued overnight. The IT Secretary confirmed that while UK SWAN is now largely restored, full functionality across all services would require more time. Investigations are underway to determine the cause and origin of the attack, and measures are being taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
Cyber Threats on the Rise in India
This incident reflects a growing trend of cyberattacks targeting government entities in India. According to a report from Indusface, Indian enterprises and government organizations faced over 5 billion cyberattacks in 2023 alone.
Between 2018 and September 2023, a total of 373 government websites were hacked, as reported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) earlier this year.
MeitY’s records, submitted to the parliamentary committee on communications and information technology, showed a concerning rise in cyberattacks: “As per the information reported to and tracked by CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team), a total of 110, 54, 59, 42, 50, and 58 website hacking incidents of central and state government organizations were observed during the years 2018-2023 (up to September).”
Experts are calling for enhanced measures, including improved monitoring systems, better encryption practices, and regular cybersecurity audits, to safeguard against future attacks.
Stay tuned for further updates as Uttarakhand battles to restore its digital services and cybersecurity experts continue their investigation into one of the most impactful cyberattacks the state has ever faced.