TN Police Department’s Cyber ​​Crime Department issues alerts against disguised phishing links as news for Sindoor operations

Images for representative purposes | Image source: Getty Images/Istockphoto

As tensions escalate between India and Pakistan, the risk of cyberattacks is growing, especially advanced ongoing threats, known for targeting Indian government agencies, military personnel and critical infrastructure.

The cybercrime unit of the Tamil Nadu Police Department has released a surge in malicious content to the public, spreading rapidly through WhatsApp, email and social media platforms, as far as Sindoor operations are concerned.

Teams involved in this type of cyberattack employ complex strategies such as sending phishing emails, fake login pages, and malicious attachments to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. Police said recommendations about the threats have been issued to all government departments in the state.

The content of these emails and attachments includes deceptive videos, images, .exe/.apk files, and phishing links masquerading as news or updated with ongoing Indo-Pak conflicts.

Other police chiefs at Sandeep Mittal said threatening players are taking advantage of the situation to increase public interest and tensions to target unsuspecting people, fake news and online scams.

“Malicious Content”

These cybercriminals loop malicious content with excuses of exclusive updates, conflict-related visual effects or leaked shots, many of which carry malware, spyware or links to phishing sites. They can be in the form of links, or even photos sent from unknown numbers, or they can be reposted on WhatsApp, Telegram, or other social media platforms.

Police consultancy said cybercriminals embed phishing links into information from trusted sources that steal personal data through phishing sites designed to look like legitimate news or government sources. Consultants say they will be marked as APK (Android package) files of the app or tool (for example, “Live War Updates App”) that can steal data once installed, access device files, or use ransomware to lock phones and demand payments.

Once these malicious links/image/.exe/.apk files are downloaded, malware is installed that can damage the device and hack it into a bank account or social media profile. “We are working with the Indian Cyber ​​Crime Coordination Centre of the United Home Office to stop this connection and prevent them,” Mr Mittal said.