PMD website hacked, redirecting to alleged Chinese site

It must be noted that cyberattack on PMD website and reason behind it have not been officially identified
An undated image. — iStock
An undated image. — iStock

In an unexpected turn of events which has unsettled and taken the country by surprise, the Pakistan Meteorological Department's (PMD) website fell prey to a cybersecurity attack.

Following the security breach, Daily Pakistan noted that users attempting to head over to the PMD website were reportedly redirected to a gaming website, which seemed to be China-based.

The diverted navigation to oksport, the unfamiliar website which is automatically opened when trying to access the PMD site, appears to be driven by the injection, or meddling, of a malicious JavaScript code into the country's national weather forecast website.

While the issue has raised concerns regarding the safety of PMD and other national servers and their ability to protect against such predicaments, the authority has yet to acknowledge the breach and provide insights into it.

It was also claimed that the issue stemmed from a planned cyberattack launched from China; however, it remains to be validated as the organisation has not yet determined or acknowledged it.

Taking to social media platforms to provide details about the cyberattack, netizens urged to take safety measures at the earliest and protect visitors from being subjected to harm.

Although details about the factor triggering the issue are available online, it must be noted that the cyberattack and the reason behind it have not been officially identified, and might differ from the actual