Hackers Launch Cyber Attack On Qatar In Retaliation For Former Navy Officer's Execution

In a retaliatory move against the Qatari court's death sentence for eight former Indian Navy officers, an Indian hacker group, named 'Indian Cyber Force' initiated cyber attacks on Qatar. The Indian Cyber Force, claiming responsibility for the attacks, reportedly shut down several Qatari websites, conducting unauthorised server access, data leaks, website defacement, DDoS attacks, and breaching the country's CCTV camera web servers. The group shared screenshots on the platform X, indicating the temporary shutdown of the Qatar Ecommerce Government Website, according to reports.

The displayed message on the screenshot read, "This site can't be reached. The web page at https://ecommerce.gov.qa/ might be temporarily down, or it may have moved permanently to a new web address. Qatar Ecommerce Government Website has been taken down."

The hackers reported a two-hour cyber attack on the Qatar government portal and shared a check hosting link. Later, the Indian Cyber Force intensified its attacks on Qatari online platforms, including the government e-commerce site and services like oasis.qa and Al Anees.

On October 26, the Court of First Instance of Qatar issued a death penalty verdict for the eight former naval officers detained in Doha. The officers-Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Purenendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal, and Sailor Rajesh-were initially apprehended by the Qatari intelligence agency on August 30, 2022.