#FactCheck - Edited Video Falsely Claims as an attack on PM Netanyahu in the Israeli Senate

Introduction

The AI Action Summit is a global forum that brings together world leaders, policymakers, technology experts, and industry representatives to discuss AI governance, ethics, and its role in society. This year, the week-long  Paris AI Action Summit officially culminated on the 11th of February, 2025. It brought together experts from the industry, policymakers, and other dignitaries to discuss Artificial Intelligence and its challenges. The event was co-chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. In line with the summit, the Indian delegation actively engaged in the 2nd India-France AI Policy Roundtable, an official side event of the summit, and the 14th India-France CEOs Forum. These discussions were on diverse sectors including defense, aerospace, technology, etc. among other things.

Prime Minister Modi’s Address 

During the AI Action Summit in Paris, Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew attention to the revolutionary effect of AI in politics, the economy, security, and society. Stressing the requirement of international cooperation, he promoted strong frameworks of governance to combat AI-based risks and consequently, build public confidence in new technologies. Needed efforts with respect to cybersecurity issues such as deepfakes and disinformation were also acknowledged. 

Democratising AI, and sharing its benefits, particularly with the Global South not only aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but also affirmed India’s resolve towards sharing expertise and best practices. India’s remarkable feat of creating a Digital Public Infrastructure,  that caters to a population of 1.4 billion through open and accessible technology was highlighted as well.

Among the key announcements, India revealed its plans to create its own Large Language Model (LLM) that reflects the country's linguistic diversity, strengthening its AI aspirations. Further, India will be hosting the next AI Action Summit, reaffirming its position in international AI leadership. The Prime Minister also welcomed France's initiatives, such as the launch of the "AI Foundation" and the "Council for Sustainable AI", initiated by President Emmanuel Macron. He emphasized the necessity to extend the Global Partnership for AI and to get it more representative and inclusive so that Global South voices are actually incorporated into AI innovation and governance.

Other Perspectives

Though there were 58 countries that signed the international agreement on a more open, inclusive, sustainable, and ethical approach to AI development (including India, France, and China), the UK and the US have refused to sign the international agreement at the AI Summit stating their issues with global governance and national security. While the former raised concerns about the lack of sufficient details regarding the establishment of global AI governance and AI’s effect on national security as their reason, the latter showcased its reservations about the overly wide AI regulations which had the potential to hamper a transformative industry. Meanwhile, the US is also looking forward to ‘Stargate’, its $500 billion AI infrastructure project alongside the companies- OpenAI, Softbank, and Oracle. 

CyberPeace Insights

The Summit has garnered greater significance with the backdrop of the release of platforms such as DeepSeek R1, China’s AI assistant system similar to that of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. On its release, it was the top-rated free application on Apple’s app store and sent the technology stocks tumbling. Moreover, investors world over appreciated the creation of the model which was made roughly in about $5 million while other AI companies spent more in comparison (keeping in mind the restrictions caused by the chip export controls in China). This breakthrough challenges the conventional notion that massive funding is a prerequisite for innovation, offering hope for India’s burgeoning AI ecosystem. With the IndiaAI mission and fewer geopolitical restrictions, India stands at a pivotal moment to drive responsible AI advancements. 

References:

• https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/39023/Prime_Minister_cochairs_AI_Action_Summit_in_Paris_February_11_2025
• https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/what-is-stargate-trumps-500-billion-ai-project-9793165/
• https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2102056
• https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2101947
• https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2101896
• https://www.timesnownews.com/technology-science/uk-and-us-decline-to-sign-global-ai-agreement-at-paris-ai-action-summit-here-is-why-article-118164497 
• https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/india-57-others-sign-paris-joint-statement-on-inclusive-sustainable-ai/article69207937.ece 

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Executive Summary:

Microsoft rolled out a set of major security updates in August, 2024 that fixed 90 cracks in the MS operating systems and the office suite; 10 of these had been exploited in actual hacker attacks and were zero-days. In the following discussion, these vulnerabilities are first outlined and then a general analysis of the contemporary cyber security threats is also undertaken in this blog. This blog seeks to give an acquainted and non-acquainted audience about these updates, the threat that these exploits pose, and prevent measures concerning such dangers. 

1. Introduction

Nowadays, people and organisations face the problem of cybersecurity as technologies develop and more and more actions take place online. These cyber threats have not ceased to mutate and hence safeguarding organisations’ digital assets requires a proactive stand. This report is concerned with the vulnerabilities fixed by Microsoft in August 2024 that comprised a cumulative of 90 security weaknesses where six of them were zero-day exploits. All these make a terrible risk pose and thus, it is important to understand them as we seek to safeguard virtual properties. 

2. Overview of Microsoft’s August 2024 Security Updates

August 2024 security update provided by Microsoft to its products involved 90 vulnerabilities for Windows, Office, and well known programs and applications. These updates are of the latest type which are released by Microsoft under its Patch Tuesday program, a regular cum monthly release of all Patch updates. 

•  Critical Flaws: As expected, seven of the 90 were categorised as Critical, meaning that these are flaws that could be leveraged by hackers to compromise the targeted systems or bring operations to a halt. 
•  Zero-Day Exploits: A zero-day attack can be defined as exploits, which are as of now being exploited by attackers while the software vendor has not yet developed a patch for the same. It had managed 10 zero-days with the August update, which underlines that Microsoft and its ecosystems remain at risk. 
•  Broader Impact: These are not isolated to the products of Microsoft only They still persist Despite this, these vulnerabilities are not exclusive to the Microsoft products only. Other vendors such as Adobe, Cisco, Google, and others also released security advisories to fix a variety of issues which proves today’s security world is highly connected. 

3. Detailed Analysis of Key Vulnerabilities

This section provides an in-depth analysis of some of the most critical vulnerabilities patched in August 2024. Each vulnerability is explained in layman’s terms to ensure accessibility for all readers.

3. 1 CVE-2024-38189: Microsoft Project Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVSS score:8. 8) : 

 The problem is in programs that belong to the Microsoft Project family which is known to be a popular project management system. The vulnerability enables an attacker to produce a file to entice an user into opening it and in the process execute code on the affected system. This could possibly get the attacker full control of the user’s system as mentioned in the following section. 

 Explanation for Non-Technical Readers: Let us assume that one day you received a file which appears to be a normal word document. When it is opened, it is in a format that it secretly downloads a problematic program in the computer and this goes unnoticed. This is what could happen with this vulnerability, that is why it is very dangerous. 

 3. 2 CVE-2024-38178: Windows Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability (CVSS score: 7.5):

Some of the risks relate to a feature known as the Windows Scripting Engine, which is an important system allowing a browser or an application to run scripts in a web page or an application. The weak point can result in corruption of memory space and an attacker can perform remote code execution with the possibility to affect the entire system. 

 Explanation for Non-Technical Readers: For the purpose of understanding how your computer memory works, imagine if your computer’s memory is a library. This vulnerability corrupts the structure of the library so that an intruder can inject malicious books (programs) which you may read (execute) on your computer and create havoc. 

 3. 3 CVE-2024-38193: WinSock Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (CVSS score: 7. 8 )

 It opens up a security weakness in the Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock, which is an essential model that masks the communication between the two. It enables the attacker to gain new privileges on the particular system they have attacked, in this case they gain some more privileges on the attacked system and can access other higher activities or details. 

 Explanation for Non-Technical Readers: This flaw is like somebody gaining access to the key to your house master bedroom. They can also steal all your valuable items that were earlier locked and could only be accessed by you. It lets the attacker cause more havoc as soon as he gets inside your computer. 

3. 4 CVE-2024-38106: Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (CVSS score: 7. 0) 

 This vulnerability targets what is known as the Windows Kernel which forms the heart or main frameworks of the operating system that controls and oversees the functions of the computer components. This particular weakness can be exploited and an opponent will be able to get high-level access and ownership of the system. 

 Explanation for Non-Technical Readers: The kernel can be compared to the brain of your computer. It is especially dangerous that if someone can control the brain he can control all the rest, which makes it a severe weakness. 

 3. 5 CVE-2024-38213: Windows Mark of the Web Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability (CVSS score: 6.5). 

 This vulnerability enables the attackers to evade the SmartScreen component of Windows which is used to safeguard users from accessing unsafe files. This weakness can be easily used by the attackers to influence the users to open files that are otherwise malicious. 

 Explanation for Non-Technical Readers: Usually, before opening a file your computer would ask you in advance that opening the file may harm your computer. This weak point makes your computer believe that this dangerous file is good and then no warning will be given to you. 

 4. Implications of the Vulnerabilities

These vulnerabilities, importantly the zero-day exploits, have significant implications on all users. 

•  Data Breaches: These weaknesses can therefore be manipulated to cause exposures of various data, occasioning data leaks that put individual and corporate information and wealth. 
•  System Compromise: The bad guys could end up fully compromising the impacted systems meaning that they can put in malware, pilfer data or simply shut down a program. 
•  Financial Loss: The organisations that do not patch these vulnerabilities on the shortest notice may end up experiencing a lot of losses because of having to deal with a lot of downtimes on their systems, having to incur the costs of remediating the systems that have been breached and also dealing with legal repercussions. 
•  Reputation Damage: Security breaches and IT system corruptions can result in loss of customer and partner confidence in an organisation’s ability to protect their information affecting its reputation and its position in the market. 

5. Recommendations for Mitigating Risks

Immediate measures should be taken regarding the risks linked to these issues since such weaknesses pose a rather high threat. The following are recommendations suitable for both technical and non-technical users. 

5. 1 Regular Software Updates 

 Make it a point that all the software, particularly operating systems and all Microsoft applications are updated. Any system out there needs to update it from Microsoft, and its Patch Tuesday release is crucial. 

 For Non-Technical Users: As much as possible, reply ‘yes’ to updates whenever your computer or smartphone prompts for it. These updates correct security matters and secure your instruments. 

 5. 2 Realisation of Phishing Attacks 

 Most of the risks are normally realised through phishing techniques. People should be taught diversifiable actions that come with crazy emails like clicking on links and opening attachments. 

 For Non-Technical Users: Do not respond to emails from unknown people and if they make you follow a link or download a file, do not do it. If it looks like spam, do not click on it. 

 5. 3 Security Software 

 Strong and reliable antivirus and anti-malware software can be used to identify and avoid the attacks that might have high chances of using these vulnerabilities. 

 For Non-Technical Users: Ensure you download a quality antivirus and always update it. This works like a security guard to your computer by preventing bad programs. 

 5. 4  Introduce Multi Factor Authentication (MFA)

 MFA works in a way to enforce a second factor of authentication before the account can be accessed; for instance, a user will be asked to input a text message or an authentication application. 

 For Non-Technical Users: NS is to make use of two-factor authentication on your accounts. It is like increasing the security measures that a man who has to burgle a house has to undergo by having to hammer an additional lock on the door. 

 5. 5 Network segmentations and Privileges management 

 Network segmentation should be adopted by organisations to prevent the spread of attacks while users should only be granted the privileges required to do their activities. 

 For Non- Technical Users: Perform the assessments of user privileges and the networks frequently and alter them in an effort of reducing the extent of the attacks. 

6. Global Cybersecurity Landscape and Vendor Patches

The other major vendors have also released patches to address security vulnerabilities in their products. The interdependent nature of technology has the effect on the entire digital ecosystem.

• Adobe, Cisco, Google, and Others: These companies have released updates to address the weaknesses in their products that are applied in different sectors. These patches should be applied promptly to enhance cybersecurity.
• Collaboration and Information Sharing:Security vendors as well as researchers and experts in the cybersecurity domain, need to remain vigilant and keep on sharing information on emerging threats in cyberspace.

7. Conclusion

The security updates companies such as Microsoft and other vendors illustrate the present day fight between cybersecurity experts and cybercriminals.  All the vulnerabilities addressed in this August 2024 update cycle are a call for prudence and constant protection of digital platforms. These vulnerabilities explain the importance of maintaining up-to-date systems, being aware of potential threats, and implementing robust security practices. Therefore, it is important to fortify our shield in this ever expanding threat domain, in order to be safe from attackers who use this weakness for their malicious purposes.

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Executive Summary:

The viral image in the social media which depicts fake injuries on the face of the MP(Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha) Kangana Ranaut alleged to have been beaten by a CISF officer at the Chandigarh airport. The reverse search of the viral image taken back to 2006, was part of an anti-mosquito commercial and does not feature the MP,  Kangana Ranaut. The findings contradict the claim that the photos are evidence of injuries resulting from the incident involving the MP, Kangana Ranaut. It is always important to verify the truthfulness of  visual content before sharing it, to prevent misinformation.

Claims:

The images circulating on social media platforms claiming the injuries on the MP, Kangana Ranaut’s face were because of an assault incident by a female CISF officer at Chandigarh airport. This claim hinted that the photos are evidence of the physical quarrel and resulting injuries suffered by  the MP, Kangana Ranaut.

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Fact Check:

When we received the posts, we reverse-searched the image and found another photo that looked similar to the viral one. We could verify through the earring in the viral image with the new image. 

The reverse image search revealed that the photo was originally uploaded in 2006 and is unrelated to the MP, Kangana Ranaut. It depicts a model in an advertisement for an anti-mosquito spray campaign.

We can validate this from the earrings in the photo after the comparison   between the two photos.

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Hence, we can confirm that the viral image of the injury mark of the MP, Kangana Ranaut has been debunked as fake and misleading, instead it has been cropped out from the original photo to misrepresent the context.

Conclusion:

Therefore, the viral photos on social media which claimed to be the results of injuries on the MP, Kangana Ranaut’s face after being assaulted allegedly by a CISF officer at the airport in Chandigarh were fake. Detailed analysis of the pictures provided the fact that the pictures have no connection with Ranaut; the picture was a 2006 anti-mosquito spray advertisement; therefore, the allegations that show these images as that of Ranaut’s injury are fake and misleading.

• Claim:  photos circulating on social media claiming to show injuries on the MP, Kangana Ranaut's face following an assault incident by a female CISF officer at Chandigarh airport.
• Claimed on: X (Formerly known as Twitter), thread, Facebook
• Fact Check: Fake & Misleading

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