This post is part of my Buildables Fellowship.

Cyber Espionage Incident Targeting the Pakistan Air Force

In July 2022, Pakistan and Chinese cybersecurity sources reported that hackers, allegedly linked to Indian advanced persistent threat (APT) groups, carried out a spear-phishing campaign aimed at the Pakistan Air Force. The attackers allegedly sent emails disguised as coming from superior officers, luring PAF personnel into opening malicious attachments. Once opened, those attachments deployed malware that infiltrated internal systems and exfiltrated sensitive data. Pakistani and Chinese officials claimed approximately 15,000 files, including encrypted documents, presentations, and correspondence related to satellite communications, military communications, and even nuclear facilities, were compromised.

Attack Methodology

The campaign was executed via spear-phishing emails. The malware, packaged in email attachments, installed trojan-horse programs that harvested files and transmitted them to attacker-controlled servers. Analysts detected clues left behind in the system that suggested the same group might have attempted or executed similar attacks against Pakistan’s naval assets earlier.

The group suspected to be behind these attacks may be the Indian APT codenamed “Confucius”, identified by Chinese cybersecurity firm Antiy. This group is known for its use of spear-phishing and other social engineering techniques against government, military, and energy sectors across South Asia. Their attacks date back to at least 2013.

Impact

The immediate impact was the unauthorized access and theft of critical military and strategic information. The stolen data (15,000 files) potentially included sensitive operational details and communications that could compromise national security. Beyond the direct data breach, the incident eroded trust in PAF’s cyber defenses and raised serious concerns within Pakistan’s military and cyber infrastructure. It also escalated tensions in South Asia’s cyber domain, as Pakistan and Chinese authorities publicly blamed Indian-linked threat actors.

What could’ve been done differently

Human Factor Defense
- Even with EDR and filtering, spear-phishing succeeds because the target trusts the sender. Continuous, scenario-based phishing simulations and training for officers could reduce click-through rates.
- Leadership buy-in is critical, if generals and senior officers treat phishing awareness casually, junior staff often follow suit.
Zero-Trust Architecture Sensitive defense networks should not rely on trust of internal actors once a foothold is gained. Zero-trust measures like strict identity verification, just-in-time access, and continuous monitoring would have limited the attacker’s ability to move laterally once one endpoint was compromised.
Segmentation of Classified Networks If those 15,000 files included nuclear or satellite data, it suggests poor air-gapping or segmentation between operational IT and classified systems. Proper isolation, combined with controlled file-transfer gateways, could have prevented such bulk exfiltration.
Enhanced Insider Threat & Behavioral Analytics Advanced attackers often “live off the land,” using normal-looking processes to evade EDR. Behavioral analytics tuned specifically for military workflows could have flagged anomalies like unusual access times, bulk file transfers, or uncommon protocol usage.
Faster Incident Response & Containment Even with detection, delays in incident response coordination can make a breach far worse. Having rehearsed, joint response teams (PAF IT + military intelligence + allied cybersecurity partners) would help contain attacks before terabytes of data leave the network.
Cross-Agency Threat Intelligence Fusion It’s possible PAF relied heavily on its own SOC or on Chinese threat intelligence. A broader fusion center approach, pooling signals from telecoms, ISPs, CERTs, and international defense partners, could have spotted indicators of compromise earlier.

Conclusion

The July 2022 cybersecurity incident targeting the Pakistan Air Force was a significant spear-phishing campaign that resulted in the exfiltration of around 15,000 sensitive files. Executed through masquerading emails and trojan malware, it exposed vulnerabilities in PAF’s cyber defenses. While attribution remains contested, Pakistan and Chinese sources pointed to Indian-linked APT groups like “Confucius.” To prevent such breaches in the future, PAF and similar institutions should enhance email safeguards, bolster endpoint security, train personnel, and establish resilient incident-response protocols.

References

Indian Defence News. (2022, July 24). Pak, Chinese Militaries Lose Key Information To Hackers. From Indian Defence News: Link
Team Tech Outlook. (2022, July 22). Pakistan Air Force along with China accuse Indian hackers to steal 15000 files and damaging their infrastructure. From The Tech Outlook: Link
Yuandan, G. (2022, July 13). Indian hackers launch fresh attack at Pakistan under China-related code name: Chinese cybersecurity firm. From Global Times: Link
Note: I used ChatGPT to help improve my own writing.