Sambalpur, 8/1 : In a startling instance of cyber vandalism targeting educational institutions in Odisha, the official website of Gangadhar Meher University (GMU) was hacked late Wednesday evening. The breach, which reportedly occurred around 8:00 PM, left the university’s digital portal defaced with the Pakistani national flag and a series of inflammatory, pro-Pakistan slogans, triggering alarm among students and faculty members.
Preliminary reports suggest the involvement of a group identifying itself as the “Pakistan Cyber Force.” Visitors attempting to access the university portal (gmuniversity.ac.in) were greeted not by academic notifications, but by a large digital image of the Pakistani flag. The hackers replaced the homepage content with slogans such as “Pakistan Zindabad,” “ISI Zindabad,” and “Pak Airforce Zindabad.” A specific signature on the defaced page read “Hacked by overthrash1337” and “GM University got owned,” pointing towards a coordinated effort by foreign non-state actors to disrupt Indian digital infrastructure.
The cyber attack effectively paralyzed the university’s online services for several hours. Critical links used by students to download admit cards, access examination schedules, and obtain provisional certificates were disabled. While the hackers did not redirect users to external malicious sites, the defacement prevented any legitimate use of the portal. “I was trying to check the exam schedule when the screen suddenly flashed a flag that definitely wasn’t ours. It was confusing and scary,” said a third-year undergraduate student who witnessed the breach live.
University authorities responded swiftly to the crisis. Upon detecting the intrusion, the technical team immediately took the website offline to prevent further data compromise and to facilitate a security audit. Deputy Registrar U.C. Pati confirmed the incident, stating, “We noticed the defacement in the evening and immediately instructed the maintenance agency to shut down the portal. A formal complaint has been lodged with the Cyber Police Station, and we are cooperating fully with the investigation.”
By early Thursday morning, the website was reportedly restored after a thorough cleanup of the malicious scripts. Officials have assured students that no sensitive personal data appears to have been stolen, though a comprehensive forensic analysis is underway to close the security loopholes exploited by the attackers.
This incident is not an isolated one in the region. Cybersecurity experts have pointed out a recurring pattern of attacks on Indian educational websites, citing similar breaches at Utkal University in 2016. The attack on GMU has reignited discussions regarding the digital vulnerability of state-run educational institutions and the urgent need for robust firewalls and regular security audits to thwart such “hacktivist” vandalism.
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