IMD’s X account for New Delhi temporarily hacked

IMD's New Delhi Twitter account was hacked, posting inappropriate content. Posts were removed, and an investigation is underway, confirms IMD.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said the X account of its New Delhi meteorological centre was hacked to make politically partisan posts. IMD said these posts were removed and the matter was being investigated.

IMD’s X account for New Delhi temporarily hacked

“The RWFC New Delhi Twitter (X) handle was hacked on Saturday and some inappropriate posts were made. Corrective actions have been taken to remove those posts,” said Gajendra Kumar, head of the Delhi regional meteorological centre, adding they were investigating the incident.

IMD has a national X account and several regional meteorological centre X accounts. Though without a verified symbol, the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre (RWFC) New Delhi account (@RWFC_ND) has 11,300 followers. IMD’s primary national X account @Indiametdept has 395,500 followers.

On Sunday, a post by the New Delhi account said, “Security Incident – RWFC New Delhi Twitter Handle* The official Twitter handle of RWFC New Delhi was hacked yesterday, and a few inappropriate posts were made during the breach. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

A second IMD official confirmed that they had taken due measures, including changing the password of their accounts.

In April 2022, IMD’s primary X account was also hacked though the weather department regained control within a few hours.