Chinese, Indian hackers hit Pakistani police: SentinelOne
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- SentinelOne reported on July 9 that Chinese- and Indian-linked hacking groups ran separate cyberespionage campaigns against multiple Pakistani law enforcement agencies between February 2024 and April 2026, with most activity aimed at the Balochistan police.
- The intrusions against the Balochistan police exploited network equipment, web servers, and the force's Complaint Management System, while other targets included the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, Islamabad police, and the Punjab Safe Cities Authority.
- SentinelOne principal threat researcher Aleksandar Milenkoski wrote that when multiple cyberespionage actors converge on one state's law enforcement, it signals the target's value — Pakistani agencies hold the government's internal picture on militant threats, Afghan tensions, and Chinese economic collaboration.
- China's embassy in Washington (spokesperson Liu Chang) rejected involvement, stating Beijing 'firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyberattacks' and does not permit such activity from its territory; the Indian embassy in Washington did not respond to questions.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police acknowledged one isolated incident during last year's heightened Pakistan–India tensions in which an end user's login credentials were compromised, but said no core system or critical application was successfully breached.
- The report linked Chinese-linked intrusions to concerns over the safety of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan who have faced deadly attacks, while Indian-linked operations appeared driven by bilateral tensions and Pakistan's broader security posture.
Why it matters: Pakistan's law enforcement agencies hold intelligence on militant threats, Afghan tensions, and Chinese economic projects — making them prime targets for both Beijing and New Delhi. Two state-aligned espionage campaigns hitting the same institutions over two years turns Pakistan's internal security apparatus into a contested intelligence battleground, with Balochistan police absorbing the heaviest blows.
