Maharashtra Dy CM Eknath Shinde's 'X' account hacked; Cong leader questions cyber security

The official X formerly Twitter handle of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was hacked on Sunday with the hackers posting images of the flags of Pakistan and Turkey a state official confirmedAccording to the news agency PTI the account was recovered within 30 to 45 minutes the official added ldquoWe immediately alerted the cybercrime police Our social media team which manages the Deputy CMrsquos X handle successfully retrieved access to the accountrdquo he saidThe hackers also livestreamed content featuring images associated with the two Islamic countries coinciding with the day of the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup cricket matchThe breach has raised concerns over the statersquos cybersecurity apparatusAs per PTI Senior Congress leader Nana Patole called the incident ldquoshockingrdquo and questioned the states preparedness in safeguarding digital infrastructure ldquoIf a senior leaderrsquos social media account can be hacked so easily what safety can the common citizen expectrdquo he asked Patole demanded a clear explanation and action from the state home department to prevent such incidents in the futureThe matter is currently under investigation by the cybercrime unitHe said the hacking episode sparked sharp reactions particularly from the GenZ population who have asked that if the social media accounts of senior ministers cannot remain secure what guarantee do ordinary citizens have regarding their online safetyIt has also put the states home department under the spotlight with critics asking who would take responsibility and what concrete mechanisms are in place to ensure the protection of citizens digital data the Congress MLA said in a post on XThe government recently announced its Golden Data scheme aimed at creating a centralised database However the breach of a ministers account has raised doubts over the robustness of security measures for government websites and sensitive official data he saidPatole demanded that the home department provide clear answers to safeguard citizens from cyber threatsCM Fadnavis urges Maharashtra Police to embrace techdriven policing flags AI and cybercrime challengesChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis advocated for better policing in Maharashtra stating that fearless and proper use of technology can take policing to the next level on SaturdayWhile addressing an annual event of the Indian Police Foundation IPF at the Maharashtra Police Headquarters in South Mumbai Fadnavis stressed the need to change the organisational structure of the police force from time to time to bring in agilityTechnology is like a horse It is the horse rider who decides the destination If we use technology by taking it in the right direction fearlessly and in the right manner then I think we can take policing to the next stage CM Fadnavis further statedWith PTI inputs