Reports of an alleged cybersecurity incident involving the Defence Research & Development Organisation have been firmly rejected by official sources, who described the claims as incorrect and unverified.

The clarification came days after Kerala-based Alibi Global Threat Intelligence Group alleged that data linked to the DRDO had been advertised for sale on the dark web. The group claimed that the data amounted to 31 gigabytes and had been offered for US $8000 over the past two weeks.

According to official sources, a thorough investigation was conducted by relevant agencies under the defence ministry. They stated that there is no evidence of any active cyber attack, unauthorised network intrusion, or ongoing data exfiltration.

The sources emphasised that most of the data alleged to be leaked is unclassified and bears no confidentiality. They explained that certain unclassified data being portrayed as critical actually stems from an old breach dating back to 2020–2022.

Threat actors, they said, have deliberately fabricated and manipulated the documents to make them appear recent and confidential. The documents referred to in the alleged leak are outdated, having undergone multiple revisions, and no longer represent current configurations.

The relevance of this outdated documentation has been evaluated and found to be no longer applicable. As a result, the claims being made are unverifiable.

Investigators also revealed that the data is being advertised for sale by several threat actors, but the content remains the same across these actors and holds no current relevance to the DRDO or the defence ministry.

Officials further added that the allegedly leaked data has been deliberately fabricated by cybercriminals motivated by financial gain. Their intention is to cause panic, collect larger sums of money, and make the data appear authentic.

The clarification underscores the importance of distinguishing between outdated, unclassified information and genuine breaches of sensitive defence data. It also highlights the growing trend of cybercriminals exploiting fabricated or obsolete material to generate fear and profit.

Agencies