Cyberattack disrupts CDA billing system, hackers demand Bitcoin ransom

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority’s property, conservancy and water billing system has been hit by a cyberattack, with hackers demanding ransom in Bitcoin after breaching the platform, according to CDA officials and the agency’s spokesperson.

The attack has caused disruption for the past three days at a time when many residents usually clear their dues in June, which is the closing month. An official from the CDA revenue directorate said the authority’s vendor, NRTC, along with the Information Technology Department and the revenue directorate, was working to restore the system and hoped the matter would be resolved by Friday.

Several citizens told Dawn they were unable to pay taxes because the online payment facility was not working. While the CDA’s main website remained accessible, the Pay your bills online link could not be opened until 9pm on Thursday.

Data breach and recovery efforts

Data connected to property and conservancy charges was compromised, and the attackers were allegedly threatening to publish it on the dark web if the ransom was not paid. The civic body maintains records for residential and commercial properties in urban areas of Islamabad, including allotted residential and commercial plots. Properties in rural areas, however, fall under the revenue department of the district government.

A CDA IT wing official said the authority had engaged a cyber security firm after a previous breach in 2024. In that earlier incident, Indian hackers reportedly accessed the CDA website and uploaded data to the dark web. The website was restored after a few days, but the episode prompted concern within the authority and at the federal level, with the Prime Minister’s Office also taking notice.

Following that incident, the CDA board authorised the agency to hire a cyber security firm under a running contract to protect its digital infrastructure and services.

CDA rejects claim over missing backups

One official claimed that the CDA and its vendor did not have backup data for the past six months, but CDA spokesperson Shahid Kiani rejected that assertion. He confirmed that the authority’s billing system for property, conservancy charges and water was under cyberattack, but said backup records remained protected.

Mr Kiani said:

"CDA is currently recovering all billing-related data from its secure backup servers to ensure nothing is lost. Technical teams are working, and the online system will be made functional again very soon,"

He also said:

"All online payments made so far are completely safe as they were processed through the 1-Link system or other authorised online banking channels,"

The latest incident comes as the civic agency works to restore access to its billing services for residents seeking to make online payments.