#FactCheck – Debunked: Dhoni's Viral Picture Misinterpreted as Political Support

Executive Summary:

In the digital world, people are becoming targets more and more of online scams, which rely on deception. One of the ways the social media is being used for the elections in recent time, is the "BJP - Election Bonus" offer that promises a cash prize of Rs. 5000 or more, through some easy questionnaire. This article provides the details of this swindle and reveals its deceptive tricks as well as gives a set of recommendations on how to protect yourself from such online fraud, especially during the upcoming elections.

False Claim:

The "BJP - Election Bonus" campaign boasts that by taking a few clicks of the mouse, users will get a cash prize. This scheme is nothing but a fake association with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Government and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and therefore, it uses the images and brands of both of them to give the scheme an impression of legitimacy. The imposters are taking advantage of the public's trust for the Government and the widespread desire for remuneration to ensnare the unaware victims, specifically before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

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The Deceptive Scheme:

• Tempting Social Media Offer: The fraud begins with an attractive link on the social media platforms. The scammers say that the proposal is related to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with the caption of “The official party has prepared many gifts for their supporters.” accompanied by an image of  the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

• Luring with Money: The offer promises to give Rs.5,000 or more. This is aimed at drawing in people specifically during election campaigns; and people’s desire for financial gain.

• Tricking with Questions: When the link is clicked, the person is brought to the page with the simple questions. The purpose of these questions is to make people feel safe and believe that they have been selected for an actual government’s program.

• The Open-the-Box Trap: Finally, the questions are answered and the last instruction is to open-the-box for the prize. However, this is just a tactic for them to make you curious about the reward.

• Fake Reward and Spreading the Scam: Upon opening the box, the recipient will be greeted with the text of Rs. 5000. However, this is not true; it is just a way to make them share the link on WhatsApp, helping the scammers to reach more victims.

The fraudsters use political party names and the Prime Minister's name to increase the plausibility of it, although there is no real connection. They employ the people's desire for monetary help, and also the time of the elections, making them susceptible to their tricks.

Analytical Breakdown:

• The campaign is a cleverly-created scheme to lure people by misusing the trust they have in the Government. By using BJP's branding and the Prime Minister's photo, fraudsters aim to make their misleading offer look credible. Fake reviews and cash reward are the two main components of the scheme that are intended to lure users into getting involved, and the end result of this is the path of deception.
• Through sharing the link over WhatsApp, users become unaware accomplices that are simply assisting the scammers to reach an even bigger audience and hence their popularity, especially with the elections around the corner.
• On top of this, the time of committing this fraud is very disturbing, as the election is just round the corner. Scammers do this in the context of the political turmoil and the spread of unconfirmed rumors and speculation about the upcoming elections in the same way they did earlier. The fraudsters are using this strategy to take advantage of the political affiliations by linking their scam to the Political party and their Leaderships.

• We have also cross-checked and as of now there is no well established and credible source or any official notification that has confirmed such an offer advertised by the Party.

• Domain Analysis: The campaign is hosted on a third party domain, which is different from the official website, thus creating doubts. Whois information reveals that the domain has been registered not long ago. The domain was registered on 29th march 2024, just a few days back.   

• Domain Name: PSURVEY[.]CYOU
• Registry Domain ID: D443702580-CNIC
• Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.hkdns.hk
• Registrar URL: http://www.hkdns.hk
• Updated Date: 2024-03-29T16:18:00.0Z
• Creation Date: 2024-03-29T15:59:17.0Z (Recently Created)
• Registry Expiry Date: 2025-03-29T23:59:59.0Z
• Registrant State/Province: Anhui
• Registrant Country: CN (China)
• Name Server: NORMAN.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM
• Name Server: PAM.NS.CLOUDFLARE.COM

Note: Cybercriminals used Cloudflare technology to mask the actual IP address of the fraudulent website.

CyberPeace Advisory and Best Practices:

• Be careful and watchful for any offers that seem too good to be true online, particularly during election periods. Exercise caution at a high level when you come across such offers, because they are usually accompanied by dishonest schemes.

• Carefully cross-check the authenticity of every campaign or offer you’re considering before interacting with it. Do not click on suspicious links and do not share private data that can be further used to run the scam.

• If you come across any such suspicious activity or if you feel you have been scammed, report it to the relevant authorities, such as the local police or the cybercrime section. Reporting is one of the most effective instruments to prevent the spread of these misleading schemes and it can support the course of the investigations.

• Educate yourselves and your families on the usual scammers’ tricks, including their election-related strategies. Prompt people to think critically and a good deal of skepticism when they meet online offers and promotions that evoke a possibility to obtain money or rewards easily.

• Ensure that you are always on a high level of alert as you explore the digital field, especially during elections. The authenticity of the information you encounter should always be verified before you act on it or pass it over to someone else.

• In case you have any doubt or worry regarding a certain e-commerce offer or campaign, don’t hesitate to ask for help from reliable sources such as Cybersecurity experts or Government agencies. A consultation with credible sources will assist you in coming up with informed decisions and guarding yourself against being navigated by these schemes.

Conclusion:

The "BJP - Election Bonus" campaign is a real case study of how Internet fraud is becoming more popular day by day, particularly before the elections. Through the awareness of the tactics employed by these scammers and their abuse of the community's trust in the Government and political figures, we can equip ourselves and our communities to avert becoming the victim of such fraudulent schemes. As a team, we can collectively strive for a digital environment free of threats and breaches of security, even in times of high political tension that accompany elections.

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What are Wi-Fi attacks?

Wi-fi is an important area of cyber security and there is no need for physical cable for the network. Wi-Fi has access to a network signal radius everywhere. The devices and systems can have a network without physical access due to Wi-fi. But everything comes with cons and pros, and if we talk about cybersecurity, it has been established that Wi-fi networks are extremely vulnerable to security breaches and it is very easy to be hacked by hackers. Wi-Fi can be accessed by almost every device in the modern day: it can be smartphones, tablets, computers, and laptops. To know whether someone has been tampering with your personal Wi-Fi there are certain signs that can prove it. The first and most important sign is that your internet speed gets slower, as someone else is using your Wi-Fi surf.

Why would anyone hack someone’s Wi-Fi network?

Usually, hackers hack the network because they want access to the confidential data of someone and they can observe all the online activities and data that have been sent through a network. An unauthorize hacker will pretty much be able to see everything you do online. Wi-Fi allows hackers o view information on sites. Any financial information which is saved in the browser can be accessed by hackers and they can alter it and can alter the content you see online. And all the information saved in Wi-fi networks can be used by hackers for their own benefit, they can sell it, impersonate you, or even take money out of your bank through Wi-Fi.

Avoiding vulnerable Wi-Fi networks

The first and foremost rule of protection is that you should not use public networks if that network is easily open to you then that is also available to others and from others, and someone can who wishes to use your confidential and sensitive information, can access that.  If you really need to access the public network in an urgent situation, then you must make sure to limit your activities while connected. And avoid accessing your online banking or pages that require login information. Also, a good measure to take as well is to always delete your cookies after using public WIFI.

How To Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network

Your home’s wireless internet connection is your Wi-Fi network. Typically, a wireless router is used, which broadcasts a signal into the atmosphere. You can connect to the internet using that signal. However, if your network is not password-protected, any nearby device can grab the signal off the air and connect to your internet. The benefit of Wi-Fi? Wireless access to the internet is possible. The negative? Your internet activity, including your personal information, may be visible to neighboring users who connect to your unprotected network. Furthermore, if someone uses your network to conduct a crime or send out unauthorized spam, you might be held accountable.

Wi-Fi or Li-Fi? –

The common consensus is that Li-Fi technology is more secure than Wi-Fi. Li-Fi systems can be made more secure by integrating a variety of security features. Although these qualities might appear when Li-Fi is widely used in the near future, it is already thought to be safer because of a number of security features. Since the connection’s characteristics make it simpler to lock connections, limit access, and track users even in the absence of encryption and other security features, Li-Fi is seen as being safer. Li-Fi systems will be able to support new security protocols, which will not only enable high-speed networking but also open the door for innovative security techniques to strengthen connections.

Conclusion

A hacker can sniff the network packets without having to be in the same building where the network is located. As wireless networks communicate through radio waves, a hacker can easily sniff the network from a nearby location. Most attackers use network sniffing to find the SSID and hack a wireless network.

Any wireless network can theoretically be attacked in a number of different ways. Use of the default SSID or password, WPS pin authentication, insufficient access control, and leaving the access point available in open locations are all examples of potential vulnerabilities that could allow for the theft of sensitive data. Kismet’s architecture in WIDS mode may guard against DOS, MiTM, and MAC spoofing attacks. routine software updates on the other hand, the use of firewalls may help defend the network against outside intrusion. The act of finding infrastructure issues that could allow harmful code to be injected into a service, system, or organization is known as ethical hacking. They use this technique to prevent invasions by lawfully breaking into networks and looking for weak spots.

Introduction

THE DIGITAL PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION BILL, 2022 Released for Public Consultation on November 18, 2022THE DIGITAL PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION BILL, 2023Tabled at LokSabha on August 03. 2023Personal data may be processed only for a lawful purpose for which an individual has given consent.  Consent may be deemed in certain cases.The 2023 bill imposes reasonable obligations on data fiduciaries and data processors to safeguard digital personal data.There is a Data Protection Board under the 2022 bill to deal with the non-compliance of the Act.Under the 2023 bill, there is the Establishment of a new Data Protection Board which will ensure compliance, remedies and penalties.

Under the new bill, the Board has been entrusted with the power of a civil court, such as the power to take cognisance in response to personal data breaches, investigate complaints,  imposing penalties. Additionally, the Board can issue directions to ensure compliance with the act.The 2022 Bill grants certain rights to individuals, such as the right to obtain information, seek correction and erasure, and grievance redressal.The 2023 bill also grants More Rights to Individuals and establishes a balance between user protection and growing innovations. The bill creates a transparent and accountable data governance framework by giving more rights to individuals. In the 2023 bill, there is an Incorporation of Business-friendly provisions by removing criminal penalties for non-compliance and facilitating international data transfers.  

‍The new 2023 bill balances out fundamental privacy rights and puts reasonable limitations on those rights.Under the 2022 bill, Personal data can be processed for a lawful purpose for which an individual has given his consent.  And there was a concept of deemed consent.The new data protection board will carefully examine the instance of non-compliance by imposing penalties on non-compiler.The bill does not provide any express clarity in regards to compensation to be granted to the Data Principal in case of a Data Breach.Under 2023 Deemed consent is there in its new form as ‘Legitimate Users’.The 2022 bill allowed the transfer of personal data to locations notified by the government.There is an introduction of the negative list, which restricts cross-data transfer.