State-Linked Hackers From India, China Targeted The Same Pakistani Police Force | Here's Why

Last Updated:July 10, 2026, 12:22 IST

The revelation reflects international efforts to gather information on Pakistan's security challenges, especially the ongoing tensions with the neighbouring Afghanistan

Suspected state-linked hackers from China and India separately targeted Pakistan’s law enforcement networks over more than two years, researchers ‌at cybersecurity firm SentinelOne said on Thursday. A group was found planting malware inside a public portal citizens use to lodge complaints against police.

The revelation reflects international efforts to gather information on Pakistan’s security challenges, especially the ongoing tensions with the neighbouring Afghanistan and the country’s economic cooperation with China, according to Reuters. 

The analysis flagged four distinct hacking campaigns against Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies between February 2024 and April 2026, with all of them targeting Balochistan Police, which is responsible for ensuring law and order in the country’s largest province. 

Pertinent to note that Balochistan has long witnessed separatist insurgency driven by disagreements over political marginalization, natural resource exploitation, and alleged human rights abuses by the Pakistani government.

Three other agencies –– Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, Islamabad Police, and the Punjab Safe Cities Authority –– also came under attack, said the report. However, there is not much detail available on this particular campaign.

According to a Reuters report, the Khyber ⁠Pakhtunkhwa police affirmed in a statement that security of its systems is “a matter of the highest priority". It claimed that “there is no evidence that any core KP police system, network, or critical application has been successfully compromised."

‘Convergence A Signal Of Target Value’

Aleksandar Milenkoski, a principal threat researcher at SentinelOne, opined that the convergence itself was meaningful. “When multiple cyberespionage actors operate against law enforcement institutions of a single state, the convergence itself is ​a signal of target value," he wrote in a blog published on Thursday, Reuters reported.

“What draws them ​is a particular kind of institution: one that holds the government’s internal security picture, what it ⁠knows about the threats inside its borders, and how it acts against them", he said.

China Voices Opposition

Liu Chang, the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in a statement that Beijing “firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law, and does not allow ​any country or individual to engage in such illegal activities within China’s territory or by using China’s infrastructure", Reuters reported.

The analysis highlighted that China’s interest in the agencies was likely to have stemmed from the issue linked to the safety of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan. Interest from the groups linked to India could be arising from the tensions with Islamabad, especially after the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent conflict between the two neighbours.

News world State-Linked Hackers From India, China Targeted The Same Pakistani Police Force | Here's Why

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