# Balochistan Police Portal Weaponized in Multi-Group Espionage Campaigns China- and India-linked hacker groups target Pakistani security institutions in coordinated cyber espionage. - **Source:** [The Hacker News](https://brifing.si/source/f944ec2b-8180-47bc-94de-57085b5a6563) - **Published:** 2026-07-11 - **Topic:** [Software & Engineering](https://brifing.si/c/engineering) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/fa78405d-a7cb-4fa4-8398-d458a1d982dd ## Widespread Cyber Espionage Security researchers uncovered coordinated cyber espionage activities by China- and India-linked hacker groups against Pakistani law enforcement between 2024-2026. Critical infrastructure including Balochistan Police's complaint management system was compromised. ## Sophisticated Malware Arsenal Four distinct threat clusters employed custom malware like PlugX, ShadowPad, Cobalt Strike and Remcos RAT. These tools provided access to police databases containing biometric records, criminal case files and personnel information. ## Complaint System Exploitation Hackers implanted malware disguised as updates in Balochistan Police's citizen complaint portal. Since the system serves both officers and civilians, a wide user base became vulnerable to surveillance and data theft. ## Geopolitical Intelligence Gathering The attacks spanned a broad geography including Tibetan Buddhist organizations in South Asia. Tactics traditionally associated with Chinese state-sponsored groups were observed in these operations. ## Weakness in Police Digitization Security flaws in systems established under the Smart Police Station initiative were exploited. Attackers targeted operational intelligence about border security and internal threat responses. ## Cybersecurity as Geopolitical Battleground Experts attribute the targeting of Pakistani institutions by geopolitical rivals to the value of internal security intelligence. Such coordinated attacks pose serious national security threats requiring enhanced cyber defenses. ## Sources covering this story - https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/hackers-weaponize-balochistan-police.html — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._