Digital Goa, May 15 – A total of 62 government departments have been affected by a cyberattack on the host server of an empanelled government website, Health Minister Vishwajeet Rane informed today. The breach led to inappropriate content, including a casino advertisement, appearing on official pages, including the Department of Women & Child Development (WCD). Expressing displeasure over media reports that singled out the WCD website, Rane said, “It is important to note that 62 government websites were affected by this breach, yet only the Women & Child Development site has been selectively highlighted. This not only distorts the full picture but also detracts from the larger issue of cybersecurity across platforms.” He assured that the WCD website had a valid Web Security Audit Certificate and had been disabled as a precautionary measure. An FIR is being lodged in connection with the incident, and the matter is being taken up with concerned authorities. “This breach is unacceptable and undermines the integrity of public digital services. Strict accountability will be ensured,” Rane added. Incidentally, around 8 months back, several Goa govt websites were targeted in similar manner.
Interestingly, several government website across India have also been targeted by the cyber criminals who target links related to schemes, scholarships etc and put online gambling related advertisements there. Even the University Grants Commission website has been targeted.
