CBIC Operations Halted for Four Days Due to Network Failure

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has been facing a nationwide operational halt for the past four days due to a “network failure” in its eOffice application, raising serious concerns over a possible cybersecurity breach.

According to internal communications accessed by Businessline, the CBIC system outage, which began on February 9, 2025 (Sunday), remains unresolved as of today, February 13, 2025. The CBIC has officially acknowledged the “network failure in the NIC/RailTel Data Centre” but has not provided an estimated timeline for restoration.

Government Departments on High Alert Amid Data Security Fears

Customs officers across India are growing increasingly worried about the delay in restoring the eOffice system, with some fearing a potential cyberattack. A senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer in Delhi suggested that the CBIC’s network may have been compromised, raising concerns about the safety of sensitive taxpayer and trade data.

An officer from Karnataka also expressed alarm over personal records, including salary and service details, potentially falling into the wrong hands. Meanwhile, a senior Customs official in Maharashtra confirmed that operations remain severely disrupted, forcing officials to process urgent work manually using physical files.

CBIC Acknowledges Ongoing Crisis, No Restoration Timeline Yet

A follow-up internal communication from CBIC on February 13, 2025, stated:

“As of today, services remain non-functional, and there is no estimated timeline for restoration. Further updates will be provided as soon as information becomes available from NIC/RailTel.”

CBIC sources told Businessline that they expect a resolution “in a day or two,” but did not confirm whether this was a technical issue or a cyberattack.

Rising Cyber Threats Against Government Networks

The outage comes amid increasing cyber threats against government agencies. According to official data shared in Parliament, at least 36 government websites faced hacking attempts in the first half of 2023 alone. Additionally, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) recorded a staggering 1,12,474 cybersecurity incidentsduring the same period.

Taxpayer Services Disrupted, GST Work Also Affected

The CBIC outage has also had an indirect impact on GST-related processes, as much of the work relies on eOffice correspondence within government offices. While some officials continue working with physical files, key approvals and processing remain delayed.

As the crisis stretches into its fifth day, stakeholders await a clear explanation and urgent restoration of the CBIC’s digital infrastructure. Is this just a network failure, or a larger cybersecurity threat? The coming days will be crucial in determining the true impact of this unprecedented outage.