NEA Mobile App Allegedly Hacked; Hacker Group Demands Release of Durga Prasai

Kathmandu — A hacker group claiming to operate under the name Nepali for Nepal says it has hacked the Nepal Electricity Authority’s (NEA) mobile app and placed a banner demanding the release of controversial medical entrepreneur Durga Prasai, who is currently in custody.

The banner, displayed on the app’s homepage slider, warns the “interim government” to free Prasai within 24 hours or face a “cyber protest.” The group released the statement and evidence of the breach via Telegram.

A video posted on the platform appears to show the hacker with full administrative access to the app’s backend system, including its dashboard, notifications, blog management, complaints section, charging station data, user information, and app settings.

The same group previously targeted the National Identity Card and Registration Department’s website, temporarily blocking it. Operating also under the name Research and Analysis Organization of Nepal, the group has threatened further attacks on government digital infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Electricity Authority has rejected claims of a hack. NEA spokesperson Sarbajit Kumar Chaudhary said the system is undergoing planned upgrades on both the website and the mobile app. “We announced maintenance work a few days ago, and it is still in progress,” he told TechPana, adding that officials are further examining the situation.

NEA had earlier issued a notice on November 13 stating that services would be partially disrupted on November 15 and 26 due to system upgrades. However, days after the scheduled maintenance, a banner uploaded by the hacker group appeared in the app. A public link shared on Telegram suggests that the backend image file of the authority’s system had been replaced.