The official emails of the senior officers of the Ministry of Finance have been allegedly been leaked in a cyber attack. According to the sources, the hacked data was related to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Financial Action Task Force (FATF), China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and other government departments.
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Hackers released a video of leaked data from the Ministry of Finance
The hacker released a video teaser showcasing the compromised emails, email addresses, and subject lines that were also posted. Going by their track record, the contents of the leaked data will be shared with anti-Pakistan elements with the goal of sabotaging Pakistan’s national security.
The publication sites received the shared files that contain a preview of contents mentioning their senders, receivers, and subjects of 2500+ emails that were used for official communication with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, Fitch Ratings, Credit Suisse, and hundreds of other national and international financial institutions. However, the officials of the finance ministry have denied any such allegations and said that the communication is in safe hands.
The hacker is a well known cyber mercenary
According to Rawalpindi-based strategic analyst Zaki Khalid, “The hacker is a known cyber mercenary and has routinely breached sensitive data held in official systems. This latest incident was announced by the malign actor in a Telegram group”. The hacker claims that the targeted email account belongs to a Joint Secretary in the federal government of Pakistan. Zaki believes this claim needs to be independently verified through a detailed technical audit of systems and networks in the federal government, particularly the Finance Ministry.
The current year has been all about cyberattacks and sensitive data hacking, which clearly indicates that creating secure cyberspace should be a top priority for the federal government. This is an urgent national security issue, and such matters must be dealt with utmost urgency.
Source: Pro Pakistani
