Hackers infiltrated the official accounts of Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN) in a cyberattack on Friday, June 14th (4:00 pm US time). The breach compromised both the mission’s official email address and its YouTube channel.
Sources report that hackers altered content, banners, and even the name of the YouTube channel. The Pakistani mission has urged the public to disregard any emails or videos sent from these compromised accounts until they regain control.
This attack comes just over a month after Pakistan called for a permanent cyber capacity-building mechanism within the UN at the Global Roundtable on ICT Security Capacity Building. Ambassador Munir Akram emphasized the importance of international cooperation and bridging the digital divide to create a secure information and communications technology (ICT) environment.
The full extent of the breach and the identity of the attackers remain unknown. The Pakistani government is likely investigating the incident to determine the damage caused and implement measures to prevent future attacks.
