TV
The official Instagram account of the Odisha Higher Education Department and the website of Ravenshaw University have both fallen victim to hackers in what appears to be a coordinated cyber attack.
According to reports, the issue came to light on Sunday night when students trying to access Ravenshaw University’s website were met with betting ads and subsequently flagged the matter on social media. The attack comes during the crucial undergraduate and postgraduate admission period, raising concerns among stakeholders.
Ravenshaw Website Redirects To Betting App, No Functional Access
As of Sunday night, clicking on the university’s domain from a desktop browser either yields a blank page or fails to load any institutional content. On mobile devices, users are being redirected to a gambling website linked to a betting app, reportedly of foreign Southeast Asian origin.
This is reportedly not the first time Ravenshaw’s website has been hacked. A similar cyber intrusion occurred nearly two years ago.
At the time, cybersecurity experts had flagged the issue and warned university authorities to improve their digital security architecture. However, this latest breach suggests those warnings went unheeded.
“There does not appear to be a standard SOP for maintaining the university’s website. A site of such importance should have regular backups and security systems in place, which does not appear to be the case with Ravenshaw,” said cybersecurity expert Prashant Sahoo.
Odisha DHE Instagram Account Flooded with Obscene Content
Simultaneously, the verified Instagram account of the Higher Education Department has been repeatedly uploading explicit videos and online betting advertisements, reportedly without the knowledge or consent of the administrators.
The account, which is typically used to broadcast academic circulars, results, and policy announcements, has become a platform for indecent and misleading content.
The identity of the hacker remains unknown, and the motive behind the attack is still unclear.
As of the latest reports, Ravenshaw University’s official website remained compromised, whereas Odisha DHE appeared to regain control of its Instagram account and deleted the unauthorised posts at around 10:30 am today.
Repeated attempts to contact both the Higher Education Department and Ravenshaw University authorities have failed.
