Defence Ministry Refutes Claims of Fresh Cyberattack on DRDO, Calls Leak Reports Misleading

New Delhi — The Ministry of Defence on Tuesday dismissed media reports claiming a cybersecurity breach at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), stating that the allegations are incorrect and not supported by evidence.

Officials said a detailed investigation found no signs of any ongoing cyberattack, unauthorised access to DRDO networks, or active theft of data.

The Ministry clarified that most of the information being circulated as part of the alleged leak is unclassified and does not contain any confidential material. It added that some documents being presented as sensitive are linked to an old security incident from the 2020–2022 period.

Investigators found that cybercriminals had allegedly altered and repackaged outdated documents to make them appear recent and more valuable. The Ministry said these files have gone through several updates over time and no longer reflect DRDO’s current systems, configurations, or operations.

According to officials, the same outdated data has been circulated by multiple threat actors attempting to sell it, despite having no current connection to DRDO or the Ministry of Defence.

The Ministry said the motive behind such claims appears to be financial gain, with perpetrators trying to create panic and increase the perceived importance of the information by falsely portraying it as classified data.

Reassuring the public, the Defence Ministry said DRDO’s systems remain secure and that no sensitive or classified information has been compromised.

The clarification comes amid growing concerns over cybersecurity threats targeting critical institutions. The Ministry reiterated its commitment to strengthening cyber defences and protecting national security assets, while urging media organisations to verify information before publishing reports.

With the official statement, the Defence Ministry has rejected claims of a major cyber breach at DRDO and reaffirmed the security of India’s defence research infrastructure.

With inputs from IANS