News Desk |
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is the latest target of the breach of Indian cyberspace as his twitter account was hacked late Monday night. The fresh hacking attempt on the account of India’s most prominent actor has sent shockwaves to his followers around the globe.
A Turkish hacker claimed the responsibility of hacking his account and made some eye-popping modifications to it after hacking. The profile picture was changed to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s and ‘Love Pakistan’ was added to the bio.
What implications will such cyber attacks have on India-Pak relations while PM Khan is making relentless efforts to resume dialogues with India?
The hacker also made a few tweets from the account in which he gave a stern message to the Government of India. The hacker protested the persecution of Muslims in the month of Ramadan and lack of action taken by the Indian authorities against the discrimination.
The tweet read: “The Indian State, who mercilessly attacks the Muslims fasting in the month of Ramadan, is attacking the Ummah Muhammad in this age! Indian Muslims are entrusted to us by Abdul hamid.” another tweet read: “We are waiting for your support.”
Read more: Hackers served ‘Beef’ on BJP’s website, as Modi takes oath
Is India’s Cyberspace Unsafe?
The fresh hacking attempt on the Bollywood superstar’s account has raised questions on the safety of India’s cyberspace. There has been an upsurge recorded in the violation of India’s cyberspace and no one, be it the Government of India or Indian celebrities, have been spared from such serious cyberattacks.
A few weeks ago, it was the BJP’s official website that was under a cyber attack. The hackers made some glaring changes to the website at a time when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was taking oath for his second term after sweeping thegeneral elections 2019. The hackers served meat on the website and modified the tabs with the word ‘meat’.
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is the latest target of the breach of Indian cyberspace as his twitter account was hacked late Monday night.
Earlier, it was actor Shahid Kapoor whose Twitter account was hacked a day after the actor welcomed his second child. The hacker protested the bleak and ugly portrayal of Turkish invader Alauddin Khilji in the movie ‘Padmavat’ which excessively glorified the Rajput dynasty of India.
The Indian Home Ministry also published an alarming report on the volatility of India’s cyberspace. The report had stated that nearly 700 Indian government websites were hacked in between 2013-16. Most of it was during Modi’s government. India may well be defending its borders on ground but it needs to strengthen its network security which seems to be powerless in front of cybercrimes.
Read more: Assange jailed for 50 weeks for UK bail breach
The Implications of the Hacking Account
Moreover, India also needs to ponder over the messages published by the hacker on the rising persecutions of Muslims in India. Is the rising Hindu nationalism and religious extremism in the country a primary reason for the cyber attacks? Does India need to re-track itself towards a more tolerant society? What implications will such cyber attacks have on India-Pak relations while PM Khan is making relentless efforts to resume dialogues with India?