Pakistani Hack Hits University Site, Delhi Students Rattled

New Delhi — Imagine you’re about to download your admit card before a major college exam and the university website just… vanishes. Not for maintenance, not server lag—hacked. That’s what students of Gangadhar Meher University just dealt with after their public website was taken over by hackers reportedly linked to Pakistan. This incident, while rooted in Odisha, sparked a fresh round of cyber anxiety right here in Delhi NCR’s student circles, especially with exam season looming.

University Website Hijacked: Here’s What Went Down

On Thursday, Gangadhar Meher University’s official website was restored after a digital breach that turned it into a platform for propaganda. The breach, allegedly executed by ‘Pakistani’ hackers, left students and faculty unable to access essential academic resources for hours. The compromised site displayed messages aligned with anti-India sentiments, and officials had to scramble to lock it down and restore backups. The incident gained traction among cybersecurity watchers for its bold targeting of an educational institution, sparking fears that such attacks could easily extend to other public portals.

What’s key here is the motive: while hackers often go after financial data or personal information, this attack was more symbolic, aiming to disrupt public trust and embarrass Indian institutions. The swift restoration by the university’s IT team, along with a forensic audit now underway, shows that although the attack was serious, it was contained. But similar websites, including those of Delhi’s smaller colleges near Lajpat Nagar and Shastri Nagar, may now need to review their own server security.

Why DU, JNU, and IPU Students Are Buzzing

The ripple effect reached campus canteens and Telegram groups in Delhi almost immediately. “When I saw the screenshots on Instagram, I honestly panicked,” said Vandana, a second-year political science student at DU’s North Campus. “We use our university portals for everything—assignments, exam dates, internal marks. If ours gets hacked during finals, it’ll be chaos.”

Delhi students, be it at Jawaharlal Nehru University, IP University’s Dwarka campus, or Amity Noida, rely heavily on online academic infrastructure. GovTech platforms aren’t exactly known for robust cybersecurity, and this has sparked real concerns about data safety—especially public exam schedules, hall ticket databases, and internal assessments. In areas like Kalkaji and Rajouri Garden, cafes often double up as study spaces and Wi-Fi zones. Many students say they’re now wary of open networks.

Local metros like Vishwavidyalaya saw groups of students discussing the breach animatedly. A cyber café worker near Rajiv Chowk said people came in asking how to back up emails and documents from university accounts “before anything funny happens.” The awareness is growing, but it’s clear: trust has been dented.

Cyber Insecurity Isn’t New In India—But It’s Growing

This isn’t the first cyber strike targeting Indian institutions with a public profile. Websites belonging to AIIMS were shut down last year after a complex ransomware attack. Similar incidents hit Amrita University and a handful of government portals. What makes this different is the blunt messaging: it wasn’t stealthy. It was flash and flair, designed to go viral.

In Delhi, cyber awareness has always lagged behind usage. Most students and small institutional setups, especially private tutorials in Karol Bagh or IT training institutes near Nehru Place, use older systems with minimal firewall protection. Think of the numerous engineering coaching centres dotted around Hauz Khas—they often run on Windows 7 with a single dusty modem. That’s a soft target. With everything from lecture slides to QR-code based attendance going digital, cybersecurity needs to level up fast. And if something as seemingly niche as a university site can draw hacker attention, maybe it’s time to take our digital walls a bit more seriously.

So What Can You Actually Do About It?

Back up key academic documents (admit cards, ID copies, assignments) to an external drive or Google Drive account you secure with 2-Step Verification.
Avoid logging into university portals using public Wi-Fi in cafes or metro stations—especially near hotspots like Saket, Kamla Nagar, or CP.
If your college site feels slow or “off,” take screenshots, report it, and disconnect. Some malware activates via prolonged visits.

📍 Spot Check: While the hacking incident centered on Odisha, its echoes reached Delhi’s North Campus, Dwarka’s Sector 9 college hub, and Kashmere Gate’s coaching district where tech support shops saw an uptick in requests to “secure” old laptops.

The Final Word

Cybersecurity isn’t just for geeky IT guys or tech firms anymore—when your next semester depends on a glitch-free login, it’s your problem too. Delhi’s student crowd needs to start treating their laptops and IDs like wallets: personal, protected, never casually handed over. The days of easy access are ending. Institutions must tighten digital locks, and users should pick up the slack too. What’s your go-to backup plan if your university portal goes down the night before an exam?