SentinelOne: China, India Hacks Targeted Pakistani Police
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- SentinelOne reported on July 9 that Chinese- and Indian-linked hacking groups ran separate cyberespionage campaigns against Pakistani law enforcement between February 2024 and April 2026, with principal threat researcher Aleksandar Milenkoski calling the convergence itself a signal of target value.
- Balochistan police were the most notable target, with intrusions hitting network equipment, web servers, and the force's Complaint Management System; the agency did not respond to a request for comment.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police acknowledged that during last year's heightened Pakistan-India tensions it saw increased attempted cyber activity and one isolated incident in which an end user's login credentials were compromised, but said no core system was successfully breached.
- Other targets included Islamabad police and the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA), an autonomous agency operating police systems in Punjab's major cities — neither responded to comment requests.
- Liu Chang, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said China "firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law" and does not allow such activity using Chinese infrastructure; the Indian Embassy in Washington did not respond to questions.
- SentinelOne said Chinese interest likely relates to the safety of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan who have been targeted in deadly attacks in recent years, while Indian-linked interest likely tracks bilateral tensions and Pakistan's broader security posture.
Why it matters: Pakistan's law enforcement agencies hold the government's full internal security picture — militant threats, Afghan border tensions, and the security of China-Pakistan economic projects — making them intelligence goldmines for both regional rivals. The fact that Balochistan police, responsible for the province where Chinese nationals have been repeatedly killed, drew intrusions on systems as specific as the Complaint Management System shows cyberespionage is now tracking the same fault lines as physical conflict, and that neither Beijing nor New Delhi is willing to acknowledge it publicly.
