Cyber Incident Victim: Supreme Court of India
Date:
Apr 2018
Location:
India
Summary
The Supreme Court of India's website was defaced by a group identified as "HighTech Brazil Hackteam," displaying messages in Portuguese alongside a marijuana leaf image before being taken offline. The incident occurred shortly after a controversial court ruling and prompted the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to engage its emergency response team for restoration and analysis. This breach followed similar defacements targeting other government entities, including the Ministry of Defense, amid broader concerns over vulnerabilities in public sector web infrastructure. Security practitioners suggested potential SQL injection attacks, while officials acknowledged recurring compromises of government portals and emphasized ongoing efforts to strengthen cybersecurity audits and protocols. Public reactions highlighted skepticism about institutional digital security capabilities.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 5 motives | 2 techniques |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On April 19, 2018, the website of India’s Supreme Court (supremecourtofindia.nic.in) was defaced by a group identifying as "HighTech Brazil Hackteam," which had previously compromised hundreds of global websites in 2013, including Indian targets. The defacement displayed Portuguese messages translating to "I love you beautiful little girl" and "Smile my little girl," accompanied by a marijuana leaf image. The site became inaccessible shortly after the incident, displaying a "this site can't be reached" message, indicating it was taken offline to limit damage. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) confirmed the breach, and its Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) advised restoration steps while initiating an analysis of the attack. The defacement occurred minutes after the Supreme Court dismissed a plea for an independent probe into the death of Judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya, who was overseeing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, fueling public criticism of the institution’s independence. Security experts speculated SQL injection as a potential attack vector, though no official confirmation was provided.
This incident followed the defacement of India’s Ministry of Defense website days earlier, which displayed Mandarin characters, though the National Informatics Centre (NIC) attributed this to a technical glitch involving Drupal Zen Framework defaults. The Supreme Court breach triggered widespread social media criticism, with users questioning the government’s ability to safeguard digital infrastructure and privacy. Historical context revealed persistent vulnerabilities: over 22,000 Indian websites, including 114 government portals, were hacked between April 2017 and January 2018, per Minister K. J. Alphons. MeitY had previously disclosed 700+ central and state department website breaches in the preceding four years, with most hackers arrested. Government responses included mandatory pre-launch cybersecurity audits for new websites and regular assessments, though officials like CTO Golok Simli acknowledged lagging security measures, noting most departments lacked security operations centers and adequate skills. The incident underscored systemic challenges in securing critical government digital assets amid escalating cyber threats.