Pakistani news channels hacked with pro-Mossad messages
Several Pakistani news channels were reportedly hacked on Sunday evening, with unauthorised broadcasts airing messages supporting Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad and targeting the Pakistan Armed Forces.
The cyber incidents occurred after Iftar, when live stream transmissions of multiple channels were interrupted and messages critical of the military and its leadership were displayed. In addition to hijacking broadcasts, several Pakistani news channels’ websites were allegedly used to run Google advertisement campaigns in support of Mossad.
Reports indicate that websites from 19 countries, including Pakistan, were used through Google Ads to carry out the campaign. The development prompted Pakistan’s relevant authorities to take immediate action.
Among the affected platforms were Geo News, Samaa TV, and ARY News. Videos of the hacked transmissions were widely circulated on social media.
Geo News’ managing editor confirmed the breach, stating that the inappropriate messages aired had no connection with the channel.
ہم اپنےناظرین کو آگاہ کرنا چاہتے ہیں،،، کہ جیو نیوز ،،،جو پاکستان کے سیٹلائٹ ،،،پاک سیٹ پر ہے،،،،اس کو کسی جانب سے پچھلے چوبیس گھنٹوں سے ہیک کرنے کی اور اس کی نشریات میں رکاوٹ ڈالنے کی کوشش کی جارہی ہے،،،اور اب کچھ دیر سے جیو نیوز کی نشریات کو مسلسل رکاوٹ کا سامنا ہے،جیو نیوز…
“We want to inform our viewers that Geo News, available on Pakistan’s satellite PakSat, has been under repeated hacking attempts over the past 24 hours, causing interruptions in transmissions,” Managing Editor Azhar Abbas said. He added that the messages displayed were not related to the channel and urged authorities to take action against those responsible.
While no official statement has been issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting or the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, local media reports stated Pakistan has initiated counter-cyber operations, including distributed denial-of-service actions reportedly targeting Israeli government websites in response.
𝗛𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗶 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗔𝗿𝗺𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀
Well-known Pakistani TV channels' screens, including Geo News, ARY News and Sama TV, were reportedly hacked, with anti–Pakistan Army messages intermittently appearing on them.… https://t.co/8R67HTc1ql pic.twitter.com/Pp26VXmZjS
Social media posts highlighted the attacks, with videos showing anti-military messages on screens and reports indicating that Ary News was targeted by an Afghan hacker.