Security sources have revealed explosive details of a large-scale cyber counter-offensive launched by Pakistan against India, marking one of the most extensive state-sponsored cyberattacks in the region’s history. Codenamed Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, the cyber operation was carried out by the cyber wing of Pakistan’s armed forces in response to Indian military aggression that reportedly took place on the night of May 6 and 7, 2025. The operation aimed to inflict digital damage across critical Indian infrastructure, including power, petroleum, defense, and communications sectors.
According to sources, the Pakistani cyber command targeted multiple Indian digital assets, significantly disrupting the country’s communications networks and essential services. Official Indian government email systems and OTP (one-time-password) infrastructures were reportedly disabled, causing widespread communication breakdowns. The breach extended to India’s surveillance and defense apparatus as well, where communication hardware was destroyed and several government websites were defaced.
In a serious escalation, Pakistani hackers reportedly took down servers at major Indian airports, affecting air traffic systems and interrupting communications within the Indian Air Force. The attack also disrupted railway operations across several regions. Further, the operation allegedly gained access to India’s national, eastern, northern, and western load dispatch centers, causing temporary outages. This disruption resulted in power cuts impacting up to 80% of Indian consumers for a limited time, marking an unprecedented digital blackout.
Internal reports cited by security sources indicated that over 4,600 power feeders in Maharashtra, 3,600 in Uttar Pradesh, and more than 600 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) were compromised and disconnected. In Indian Punjab, two AI-powered servers at a dispatch center were disabled, while in Karnataka, over 235 renewable energy grid stations were rendered inoperative.
In addition to the energy and transport sectors, Pakistan’s cyber operation also struck the petroleum industry. Databases of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) and Indraprastha Gas Ltd. (IGPL) were targeted. A massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack paralyzed digital systems of key Indian government departments, military networks, air force installations, public-sector companies, and the stock exchange. More than 4,400 government routers were brought down, significantly disrupting internal workflows and public communication.
The cyber offensive also breached over 90 government and corporate sector websites. Sensitive digital assets belonging to the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., the Border Security Force, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and Indian Railways were compromised. Airport servers in Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata were taken offline, while surveillance camera systems—more than 3,500 CCTVs across government buildings, hospitals, and public areas—were reportedly hacked. In IIOJK, over 250 major ISP routers were also taken down, resulting in localized internet outages.
Pakistan officially launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos on May 10 as part of its broader military response dubbed Marka-e-Haq, which also included missile strikes using the Al-Fatah system on Indian military installations. Pakistan Air Force (PAF) additionally shot down five Indian aircraft, including three Rafale jets, a MiG-29, an SU-series aircraft, and an Israeli-made Heron combat drone.
The dramatic escalation in cyber and military confrontations between the two nuclear-armed states ended in a full and immediate ceasefire announced on May 10. The truce was brokered through urgent diplomatic intervention led by U.S. President Donald Trump and was later confirmed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Tensions were initially sparked by the Pahalgam attack in IIOJK, with India accusing Pakistan of orchestrating the incident. Pakistan firmly rejected the allegations, especially after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty—a move that Islamabad condemned as an “act of war.” Though a ceasefire was agreed upon, fresh skirmishes continued to be reported along the Line of Control (LoC) in the hours following the agreement.
The cyberattack highlights the increasingly complex and hybrid nature of modern conflicts, where cyberspace has become as critical as the traditional battlefield.
