The recent conflict between India and Pakistan may have stalled, but there is a group of scammers lurking in cyberspace that attract innocent people and deceive them. From hacked university websites to clickbait messages to “learn more about the Indian-Pakistan conflict,” the wave of false information continues to hit people. Hackers get smarter. They no longer feed on your data, but on your fears.
Cyber Warfare
“During high tensions like the India-Pak conflict, cyber scams actively exploit the public’s desire for real-time updates,” said Nitin Pandey, a global cybersecurity expert and senior cybercrime investigator. Nitin Pandey, said. “During high tensions like the India-Pak conflict, cyber scams actively exploit the public’s desire for real-time updates.” Nitin explains how hackers innovate in their own ways and produce sensational headlines and “breakthrough news” information as bait. Most people look like official media reports because they look like these suspicious information.
Himanshu Yadav, a cybersecurity researcher and founder of Hackind Tech from Delhi, said about 1.5 million cyber attacks were launched against Indian websites. He believes that the era of conflict is seen as the new “frontline” for hackers, and they are all ready to launch a cruel cyber war. “The good news is that about 99.99% of these attacks were blocked,” Himanshu said.
Some state governments have officially announced warning data. For example, cyber officials in Maharashtra revealed that 1.5 million cyber attacks were carried out after April 22 (Pahalgam terrorist attack). Of the 1.5 million cyberattacks, only 150 have proven to be successful. Thanks to improved digital infrastructure and other active defense mechanisms.
But, what is outrageous is the huge volume of these attacks. During times of conflict, Himanshu attacked such attacks, not cyber attacks. He quipped, “What we witnessed was a complete cyber warfare!”
Performing crime
Experts in strategic affairs and members of defense think tanks warned individuals in the new era of war in terms of cyberattacks and misinformation. Social media platforms are ultimately fragile hotspots. Himanshu explained that the hackers’ tactics could be caused by pushing for false alarms, which caused panic (against the riot) by denying online services by malware payloads. “Sometimes, it’s also about stealing data or overloading the server or network with traffic to make it unusable for users,” Himanshu explained. These hackers’ spells seem cruel and simple – because of the chaos.
Fear Game
Hackers not only attack your data; they attack ideas. During times of conflict, war and natural disaster, they spread fear, chaos and anxiety among people. Messages such as “emergency security updates” or “your account is compromised” are tailor-made to trigger panic and chaos.
Himanshu warned that common tactics include imitating the armed forces and spreading fake videotapes on social media. These messages come with links requiring personal details under the guise of national security. Himanshu added: “The prey of hackers’ patriotism, urgency and individual trust in the authorities.”
Nitin believes that this is not only a hacker, but other stakeholders at work. “Some media are eager to release information without fact checking,” he said, “Selling such information only causes panic and concern.
Mental immunity
“Today’s attacks are psychologically driven,” said Nirali Bhatia, a network psychologist and psychotherapist. “The hackers created this emotionally reactive situation, bypassing and blurring the lines of logical reasoning,” she said. “People need to be aware of the use of fear by hackers to cause our combat or flight mechanisms. “In times of fear and vulnerability, individuals fall sadly into hacker prey and give them personal information, including bank account details.
Reality check
The best tool to get rid of this psychological operation may be pause, so you think logically and act responsibly. Another approach might be to do a quick fact check for cross-validation. Nirali said the “POV concept” of zero trust and verification is suspended. You have to stop first, without blind trust in the random bite information, and you can eventually verify it.
Himanshu recommends people use unique passwords to obtain sensitive data, such as personal information and bank details. “Use strong, unique passwords not your birthday or typical 123456.” Two-factor authentication is also enabled. Even though the conflict has taken a step back, maybe it’s time to better equip yourself in the digital landscape!
