Amateur hackers wage cyber war amid India-Bangladesh tensions

They are the ‘watchers’, the ‘protectors’, and the punishers delivering ‘justice’ in their own style – sitting thousands of kilometres away. They are virtual warriors, adding a new dimension to the prevailing tensions between India and Bangladesh – in cyberspace.
Grouped along lines of nationality and religion, they cripple websites in other countries with artificially overwhelming numbers of visit requests, deface sites, breach databases, and leak sensitive information online.
But why? Simply put, some of these amateur hacking groups are driven by ideology and faith, while others seek opportunities to recruit talent and make a name for themselves by embedding their activities in high-stakes events.
Bangladeshi hacker groups such as Team ARXU, Team BD Cyber Ninja, and The Anonymous BD have escalated attacks on Indian sites, including those belonging to various chapters of ISKCON, the Hindu religious organisation currently at the centre of controversy over atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.
Hashtags like #BanISKCON and #antipajeet (Pajeet is a derogatory term used to refer to Hindus) are common in Bangladeshi hacker groups, while hashtags such as #SaveBangladesh, #Save_Bangladeshi_Hindus, and #SaveBangladeshiHinduTemples frequently appear in social media groups operated by Indian hackers.
In Telegram posts announcing the defacement and hacking of web assets, hacker groups from both India and Bangladesh often make insulting, hateful, and communally charged comments against their “enemies.”
In most cases, the victims of this cyber activism are innocent people and organisations who have no connection to the events being used as justification for the attacks. Organisations with weak security infrastructure are obvious targets.
Websites of regional high schools and colleges, furniture stores, card printers, small media houses, workers’ associations, and government schemes are among the prime targets.
However, at times they manage to access sensitive data, such as login credentials, user activity logs, and contact details of government employees. The website of a prominent Noida-based media group was famously hacked by a group named ‘Systemadminbd’ in late August for “making fun of the situation in Bangladesh”.
Despite this, their exploits largely fail to impress the wider hacking community. In a hacking subreddit, one user described their operations as “not very impressive”, while referring to Bangladeshi cyber operatives as “script kiddies”.
On the contrary, Indian hacking groups appear more sophisticated, with their targets being more significant. According to a review of their Telegram channels, these groups frequently target and steal data from Bangladeshi government sites.
Observers of cyberspace seem to agree with this assessment. In the Reddit community ‘BangladeshMedia’, one user summarised it succinctly: “But let’s be real – Bangladeshi hackers aren’t as skilled as Indian hackers (there are also more Indian hackers). If they ever decide to attack, it could cause mayhem for us”.
Hackers often make tall claims about their exploits, but verifying them is difficult in most cases.
Indian and Bangladeshi hackers have been targeting each other’s sites for years. However, the rivalry escalated after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government fell, and she fled to India on 5 August 2024. Subsequent events in Bangladesh, such as attacks on minority Hindus, floods (incorrectly blamed on India), and the recent arrests of ISKCON monks, have fuelled these punitive hacking operations.
High-stakes events provide a perfect opportunity for hacker groups to recruit and collaborate with top talent while gaining recognition through attention-grabbing exploits.
In the past, Indian hackers have locked horns with cyber activists from Pakistan and Turkey. Activism-driven cyber battles are now a permanent feature of India-Pakistan relations. As a result, many websites in both countries cannot be accessed from outside their respective borders.
Nothing of this sort existed between India and Bangladesh, due to historically friendly relations, barring a few isolated incidents. However, with the likelihood of prolonged bilateral tensions, cyberspace could emerge as a semi-permanent front in the India-Bangladesh equation.