Khyber News Temporarily Knocked Off-Air After Suspected Cyberattack

By Tanveer Ahmed :

Pakistan’s Khyber News Network was briefly taken off air on Friday evening after what its parent company described as a coordinated cyberattack targeting its satellite transmission system.

In a statement issued on 13 March, AVT Channels said unknown actors injected an unauthorised carrier signal into the satellite frequencies used by the network. The interference caused severe disruption across the broadcaster’s transmissions and forced the channel into a temporary “No Signal” state.

The company said the incident appeared to be a deliberate attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in broadcast infrastructure and disrupt its operations.

Authorities notified under cybercrime law

AVT Channels said it had formally informed relevant state institutions, security agencies and regulators about the incident under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016.

The legislation covers offences including electronic interference, sabotage of digital infrastructure and cyberattacks against communication systems.

The broadcaster also stressed that its editorial policy operates within Pakistan’s constitutional and legal framework. It added that no government body had instructed the channel to halt or limit its broadcasts, dismissing what it called misleading claims circulating on social media.

Technical details of the disruption

According to technical data released by the network, the attack involved the injection of an unidentified carrier waveform directly onto AVT’s satellite uplink frequency.

Engineers said the interference appeared as a high-amplitude signal that collided with the legitimate broadcast waveform, causing severe signal degradation. Telemetry data recorded during the disruption showed packet loss exceeding 85% and a sharp fall in the carrier-to-noise ratio.

Experts say such patterns are typically associated with deliberate radio-frequency injection attacks rather than equipment failure or atmospheric disturbance.

Incident coincides with drone interceptions

The disruption occurred on the same evening that Pakistan’s security forces intercepted two drones reportedly originating from Afghanistan near the Rawalpindi–Islamabad corridor.

While authorities have not officially linked the two incidents, the timing has raised concerns among security officials and media executives about the possibility of a coordinated hybrid operation combining cyber and physical threats.

The broadcaster said investigations were continuing and vowed to strengthen its technical safeguards to prevent similar disruptions in the future.

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