#FactCheck: IAF Shivangi Singh was captured by Pakistan army after her Rafale fighter jet was shot down
Executive Summary:
False information spread on social media that Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, India’s first female Rafale pilot, had been captured by Pakistan during “Operation Sindoor”. The allegations are untrue and baseless as no credible or official confirmation supports the claim, and Singh is confirmed to be safe and actively serving. The rumor, likely originating from unverified sources, sparked public concern and underscored the serious threat fake news poses to national security.
Claim:
An X user posted stating that “ Initial image released of a female Indian Shivani singh Rafale pilot shot down in Pakistan”. It was falsely claimed that Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh had been captured, and that the Rafale aircraft was shot down by Pakistan.
Fact Check:
After doing reverse image search, we found an instagram post stating the two Indian Air Force pilots—Wing Commander Tejpal (50) and trainee Bhoomika (28)—who had ejected from a Kiran Jet Trainer during a routine training sortie from Bengaluru before it crashed near Bhogapuram village in Karnataka. The aircraft exploded upon impact, but both pilots were later found alive, though injured and exhausted.
Also we found a youtube channel which is showing the video from the past and not what it was claimed to be.
Conclusion:
The false claims about Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh being captured by Pakistan and her Rafale jet being shot down have been debunked. The image used was unrelated and showed IAF pilots from a separate training incident. Several media also confirmed that its video made no mention of Ms. Singh’s arrest. This highlights the dangers of misinformation, especially concerning national security. Verifying facts through credible sources and avoiding the spread of unverified content is essential to maintain public trust and protect the reputation of those serving in the armed forces.
- Claim: False claims about Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh being captured by Pakistan and her Rafale jet being shot down
- Claimed On: Social Media
- Fact Check: False and Misleading
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The Equitable Growth Approach of AI and Digital Twins
Digital Twins can be simply described as virtual replicas of physical assets or systems, powered by real-time data and advanced simulations. When this technology is combined with AI, the impact it has on enabling real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, optimised operations, and improved design processes through the creation of virtual replicas of physical assets becomes even greater. The greatest value of AI is its ability to make data actionable. And when combined with digital twins, these data can be collated, analysed, inefficiencies removed, and better decisions can be taken to improve efficiency and quality.
This intersection between AI and Digital Twins holds immense potential for addressing key challenges, particularly in countries like India, which is rapidly embracing digital adoption to achieve its economic ambitions and sustainability goals. According to Salesforce’s most recent survey on generative AI use among the general population within the U.S., UK, Australia and India, 75% of generative AI users are looking to automate repetitive tasks and use generative AI for work communications. India is particularly looking towards a rapid digital adoption, economic ambitions, and sustainable developments to be achieved through AI adoption. This blog discuss the intersection of equitable growth, sustainability, and AI-driven policies in India.
Sustainability and the Path Ahead: Digital Twin and AI-Driven Solutions
India faces sustainability challenges which are mainly associated with issues such as urban congestion, the rising demand for energy along with climate change and environmental degradation. AI and Digital Twins provide solutions for real-time simulations and predictive analysis. Some of the examples are its applications in sustainable urban planning such as smart cities like the Indore Smart City Initiative and traffic optimisation, energy efficiency/optimisation through AI-driven renewable energy projects and power grid optimisation and even water resource management through leak detection, equitable distribution and conservation.
The need is to balance innovation with regulation, particularly, underscoring the importance of ethical and sustainable deployment of AI and digital twins and addressing data privacy with AI ethics with recent developments such as the India’s evolving AI policy landscape, including the National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence and its focus on AI for All, regulatory frameworks such as DPDP Act and the manner in which they address AI ethics, data privacy, and digital governance.
The need is to initiate targeted policies that promote research and development in AI and digital twin technologies, skill development and partnerships with the private sector, think tanks, nonprofits and others. Also, collaborations at the global level would include aligning our domestic policies with global AI and sustainability initiatives and leveraging the international frameworks for climate tech and smart infrastructure.
Cyberpeace Outlook
As part of specific actions, policymakers need to engage in proactive governance to ensure the responsible use and development of AI. This includes enacting incentive schemes for sustainable AI projects and strengthening the enforcement of data privacy laws. Industry leaders must support equitable access to AI and digital twin technologies and develop tailored AI tools for resource-constrained settings, particularly in India. Finally, researchers need to drive innovation in alignment with sustainability goals, such as those related to agriculture and groundwater management.
References
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/technologies-like-ai-and-digital-twins-can-tackle-challenges-like-equitable-growth-to-sustainability-wef/articleshow/117121897.cms
- https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/generative-ai-statistics/
- https://www.mdpi.com/2673-2688/4/3/38
- https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/generative-ai-for-digital-twin-energy-utilities
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In what is being stated by experts to be one of the largest data breaches of all time, approximately 16 billion passwords were exposed online last week. According to various news reports, the leak contains credentials spanning a broad array of online services, including Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, etc., creating a serious alarm across the globe. Cybersecurity specialists have noted that this leak poses immense risks of account takeovers, identity theft, and enabling phishing scams. The leaked data is being described as a “collection-of-collections,” with multiple previously breached databases compiled into one easy-to-access repository for cybercriminals.
Infostealer Malware and Why It’s a Serious Threat
This incident brought to light a type of malware that experts refer to as the Infostealer. Just as the name suggests, this is a malware program made expressly to take personal information from compromised computers and devices, including cookies, session tokens, browser data, login credentials, and more. It targets high-value credentials, as opposed to ransomware, which encrypts files for ransom, or spyware that passively watches users. Once installed, they silently gather passwords, screenshots, and other information while hiding inside unassuming software, such as a game, utility, or browser plugin. Once stolen, these credentials are then combined by hackers to create databases, which are then offered for sale on dark web forums or even made public, as was the case in this breach. This is particularly risky since, if session tokens or other browser data are also taken, these credentials can be used to get around even two-factor authentication. As a result, the leak would also enable the rise of other crimes such as phishing.
Guidelines for protection
In response to this breach, India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) issued an advisory, urging all internet users to take immediate action to protect their accounts. Although this is in response to the specific data leak, these are some key measures advised to be followed to maintain a general standard of cyber hygiene at all times.
- Reset your passwords: In case of incidents such as the above, users are advised to change the passwords of their accounts immediately. More so of the ones that have been compromised and need to be prioritised, such as email, online banking, and social media etc.
- Use strong, unique passwords and password manager features: Avoid password reuse across platforms. Using a password manager on a trusted platform can aid in storing and recalling them for different accounts.
- Monitor account activity: Check activity logs, especially for signs of unrecognised login attempts or password-reset notifications.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): The user is advised to enable two-step verification (via an app like Google Authenticator or a hardware key), which will add an extra security layer.
- Phishing attacks: Cybercriminals will likely attempt to use leaked credentials to impersonate legitimate companies and send phishing emails. Read carefully before clicking on any links or attachments received.
- Scan devices for malware: Run updated antivirus or anti-malware scans to catch and remove infostealers or other malicious software lurking on your device.
Why This Data Breach is a Wake-Up Call
With 16 billion credentials exposed, this breach highlights the critical need for robust personal cybersecurity hygiene. It also reveals the persistent role of infostealer malware in feeding a global cybercrime economy, one where credentials are the most valuable assets. As Infosecurity Europe and other analysts highlight, infostealers are lightweight, often distributed via phishing or malicious downloads, and are highly effective at lifting data in the background without alerting the user. Even up-to-date antivirus software can struggle to catch new variants, making proactive security practices with respect to such malware all the more essential. In a time where data is everything, access to credentials can derive power and safety, regarding it must be kept in check.
Conclusion
This breach is a reminder that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. Even with protective systems in place with respect to the industries and official authorities, every internet user must do their part in protecting themselves through cyber hygiene practices such as resetting passwords, using multi-factor authentication, staying vigilant against phishing scams, and ensuring devices are regularly scanned for malware. While breaches like this can seem overwhelming and might create a surge of panic, practical measures go a long way in mitigating exposure. Staying informed and proactive is the best defence one can adopt in a rapidly evolving threat landscape.
References
- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/16-billion-passwords-exposed-in-unprecedented-cyber-leak-of-2025-experts-raise-global-alarm/articleshow/121961165.cms?from=mdr
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/16-billion-passwords-leaked-on-internet-what-you-need-to-know-to-protect-your-facebook-instagram-gmail-and-other-accounts/articleshow/121967191.cms
- https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/16-billion-passwords-leaked-online-what-we-know-10077546/
- https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/16-billion-passwords-leaked-online-what-we-know-10077546/
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/certin-issues-advisory-after-data-breach-of-16-billion-credentials-asks-people-to-change-passwords-101750779940872.html
- https://www.cert-in.org.in/s2cMainServlet?pageid=PUBVLNOTES02&VLCODE=CIAD-2025-0024
- https://www.infosecurityeurope.com/en-gb/blog/threat-vectors/guide-infostealer-malware.html
Executive Summary
A video is rapidly circulating on social media showing a man enthusiastically dancing to the Hindi song Sun Sahiba Sun. The clip is being shared with a sensational claim that it is a private video leaked from the hacked email account of FBI Director Kash Patel. In the video, a man can be seen dancing in a casual setting while people in the background cheer him on. Several users have linked the clip to an alleged cyberattack by Iran-linked hackers, attempting to connect it with ongoing international developments.
However, research by the CyberPeace found that the video has been available online since at least 2020. It also resurfaced in 2022, long before the current claims emerged. There is no connection between the video and Kash Patel or any hacking incident. Further research confirmed that the clip is not recent and has no link to any cybersecurity breach. In 2022, the same video had gone viral as a humorous post, with claims that the man was celebrating because his wife had temporarily gone to her maternal home.
Claim
On March 29, 2026, an Instagram user named ‘greyinsightsbharat’ shared the video claiming it was leaked from Patel’s hacked Gmail account. The caption read:“FBI Director Kash Patel's Gmail Hacked by Iranian Hackers; His Alleged Dancing Video Leaked.”
The research involved extracting keyframes from the video and conducting reverse image searches, which revealed that the same clip had been shared multiple times in the past with different, unrelated claims.
Fact Check
A reverse search also led to a December 2022 media report featuring the same visuals. According to that report, the video showed a man joyfully dancing to celebrate his wife’s temporary visit to her parental home.
Additionally, findings confirm that the footage has existed online since at least 2020 and has previously gone viral. The song featured in the clip is from the 1985 Bollywood film Ram Teri Ganga Maili, originally sung by legendary artist Lata Mangeshkar.
Conclusion:
The claim that the viral dance video is a leaked private clip of FBI Director Kash Patel is false and misleading. Verified findings show that the video has been available on the internet since at least 2020 and had already gone viral in 2022 in a completely different and humorous context. There is no evidence linking the clip to any recent cyberattack, email hack, or data breach involving Patel. The resurfacing of this old video with a fabricated narrative highlights how unrelated content is often repurposed to create sensational misinformation, especially during sensitive geopolitical situations. Users are advised to verify such claims through credible sources before sharing, as misleading posts like these can distort public understanding and spread confusion.
