#FactCheck-Viral Fire Video Falsely Linked to Hezbollah Strike on Israeli Military HQ
Executive Summary
Despite a truce announced in mid-April, sporadic violence has continued between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Meanwhile, a video circulating widely on social media shows a multi-storey building engulfed in flames, with users falsely linking it to the ongoing conflict. Posts sharing the clip claim it depicts a Hezbollah strike on an Israeli military headquarters, alleging that several soldiers were killed and that Israel is censoring visuals from the incident. However, research by the CyberPeace Research Wing found the claim to be misleading. The video is unrelated to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Verification shows that the footage actually captures a fire at an apartment building in New York City. Firefighters can be seen at the scene attempting to control the blaze.
Claim
A Facebook post shared on April 16, 2026, read: “Breaking news; Hezbollah targeted an Israeli military headquarters; many Israeli soldiers lost their lives at the scene… Israel is censoring these images.” The video has garnered more than 240,000 views.
- https://perma.cc/BQ6X-4LAT
- https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1283830349750737
Fact Check
A reverse image search using keyframes from the viral clip led to a higher-quality version posted on April 12, 2026, by an Instagram account titled “FDNY response video.” The caption stated: “Happening now — Major 3 alarm fire on 22nd Street and 7th Avenue at 216 7th Avenue.”
- https://www.instagram.com/p/DXB0ePqjgGD/
Further verification found that images of the same incident were shared on April 13, 2026, by the official X account of the New York City Fire Department. According to the post, no civilians were injured in the fire, although two firefighters sustained minor injuries while battling the blaze.
Using the location details mentioned in the posts, visible structures in the video were matched with Google Maps street imagery, confirming that the footage was indeed filmed in New York City.
Conclusion
The research establishes that the viral video is being shared with a false claim. It does not show any attack on an Israeli military facility but rather a residential building fire in New York City.
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Executive Summary:
A video is being circulated on social media claiming that veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty has passed away. The viral clip shows actors Salman Khan and Govinda leaving in their respective cars. Social media users are sharing this footage while claiming that the actors were seen after the alleged demise of Mithun Chakraborty. However, research by the CyberPeace found the claim to be false. Our research revealed that Mithun Chakraborty is completely healthy and the claim about his death is misleading.
Claim
On March 6, 2026, an Instagram user shared the viral video claiming that actor Mithun Chakraborty had passed away.
Fact Check:
To verify the claim, we searched relevant keywords on Google. During this search, we did not find any credible media report confirming the death of Mithun Chakraborty.
We further checked the social media accounts of Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mahaakshay Chakraborty, but found no information related to the viral claim. This indicated that the posts circulating on social media about the actor’s death were false. To trace the origin of the viral footage, we extracted key frames from the video showing Salman Khan and Govinda and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. During the search, we found the clip featuring Salman Khan on the Facebook page of Times Now, posted on November 11, 2025.
According to the report, Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan were seen leaving Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, where veteran actor Dharmendra had been admitted on November 10 after his health suddenly deteriorated. The clip featuring Govinda was also found on the website of Navbharat Times, published on November 11, 2025. According to the report, Govinda had arrived late at night at Breach Candy Hospital to visit Dharmendra after he was hospitalized due to health issues.
Conclusion
Our research found that the viral claim is false. Actor Mithun Chakraborty is alive and healthy. The video circulating on social media actually shows Salman Khan and Govinda visiting Breach Candy Hospital in November 2025 when actor Dharmendra was admitted, and it has been wrongly linked to Mithun Chakraborty’s death.
Introduction
The whole world is shifting towards a cashless economy, with innovative payment transaction systems such as UPI payments, card payments, etc. These payment systems require processing, storage, and movement of millions of cardholders data which is crucial for any successful transaction.
And therefore to maintain the credibility of this payment ecosystem, security or secure movement and processing of cardholders data becomes paramount. Entities involved in a payment ecosystem are responsible for the security of cardholders data. Security is also important because if breaches happen in cardholders data it would amount to financial loss. Fraudsters are attempting smart ways to leverage any kind of security loopholes in the payment system.
So these entities which are involved in the payment ecosystem need to maintain some security standards set by one council of network providers in the payment industry popularly known as the Payment Card Industry Security Standard Council.
Overview of what is PCI and PCI DSS Compliance
Earlier every network providers in the payment industry have their own set of security standards but later they all together i.e., Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and JCB constituted an independent body to come up with comprehensive security standards like PCI DSS, PA DSS, PCI-PTS, etc. And these network providers ensure the enforcement of the security standards by putting conditions on services being provided to the merchant or acquirer bank.
In other words, PCI DSS particularly is the global standard that provides a baseline of technical and operational requirements designed to protect account data. PCI DSS is a security standard specially designed for merchants and service providers in the payment ecosystem to protect the cardholders data against any fraud or theft.
It applies to all the entities including third-party vendors which are involved in processing storing and transmitting cardholders data. In organization, even all CDE (Card Holder Data Environment) including system components or network component that stores and process cardholders data, has to comply with all the requirements of PCI compliance. Recently PCI has released a new version of PCI DSS v4.0 a few months ago with certain changes from the previous version after three years of the review cycle.
12 Requirements of PCI DSS
This is the most important part of PCI DSS as following these requirements can make any organization to some extent PCI compliant. So what are these requirements:
- Installing firewalls or maintaining security controls in the networks
- Use strong password in order to secure the CDE( Card holders data environment)
- Protection of cardholder data
- Encrypting the cardholder data during transmission over an open and public network.
- Timely detection and protection of the cardholders data environment from any malicious activity or software.
- Regular updating the software thereby maintaining a secure system.
- Rule of business need to know should apply to access the cardholders data
- Identification and authentication of the user are important to access the system components.
- Physical access to cardholders data should be restricted.
- Monitoring or screening of system components to know the malicious activity internally in real-time.
- Regular auditing of security control and finding any vulnerabilities available in the systems.
- Make policies and programs accordingly in order to support information security.
How organization can become PCI compliant
- Scope: First step is to determine all the system components or networks storing and processing cardholders data i.e., Cardholders Data Environment.
- Assess: Then test whether these systems or networks are complying with all the requirements of PCI DSS COMPLIANCE.
- Report: Documenting all the assessment through self assessment questionnaire by answering following questions like whether the requirements are met or not? Whether the requirements are met with customized approach.
- Attest: Then the next step is to complete the attestation process available on the website of PCI SSC.
- Submit: Then organization can submit all the documents including reports and other supporting documents if it is requested by other entities such as payment brands, merchant or acquirer.
- Remediate: Then the organisation should take remedial action for the requirements which are not in place on the system components or networks.
Conclusion
One of the most important issues facing those involved in the digital payment ecosystem is cybersecurity. The likelihood of being exposed to cybersecurity hazards including online fraud, information theft, and virus assaults is rising as more and more users prefer using digital payments.
And thus complying and adopting with these security standards is the need of the hour. And moreover RBI has also mandated all the regulated entities ( NBFCs Banks etc) under one recent notification to comply with these standards.
Introduction
Since users are now constantly retrieving critical data on their mobile devices, fraudsters are now focusing on these devices. App-based, network-based, and device-based vulnerabilities are the three main ways of attacking that Mobile Endpoint Security names as mobile threats. Composed of the following features: program monitoring and risk, connection privacy and safety, psychological anomaly and reconfiguration recognition, and evaluation of vulnerabilities and management, this is how Gartner describes Mobile Threat Defense (MTD).
The widespread adoption and prevalence of cell phones among consumers worldwide have significantly increased in recent years. Users of these operating system-specific devices can install a wide range of software, or "apps," from online marketplaces like Google Play and the Apple App Store. The applications described above are the lifeblood of cell phones; they improve users' daily lives and augment the devices' performance. The app marketplaces let users quickly search for and install new programs, but certain malicious apps/links/websites can also be the origin of malware hidden among legitimate apps. These days, there are many different security issues and malevolent attacks that might affect mobile devices.
Unveiling Malware Landscape
The word "malware" refers to a comprehensive category of spyware intended to infiltrate networks, steal confidential data, cause disruptions, or grant illegal access. Malware can take many forms, such as Trojan horses, worms, ransomware, infections, spyware, and adware. Because each type has distinct goals and features, security specialists face a complex problem. Malware is a serious risk to both people and businesses. Security incidents, monetary losses, harm to one's credibility, and legal repercussions are possible outcomes. Understanding malware's inner workings is essential to defend against it effectively. Malware analysis is helpful in this situation. The practice of deconstructing and analysing dangerous software to comprehend its behaviour, operation, and consequences is known as malware analysis.Major threats targeting mobile phones
Viruses: Viruses are self-renewing programs that can steal data, launch denial of service assaults, or enact ransomware strikes. They spread by altering other software applications, adding malicious code, and running it on the target's device. Computer systems all over the world are still infected with viruses, which attack different operating systems like Mac and Microsoft Windows, even though there is a wealth of antiviral programs obtainable to mitigate their impacts.
Worms: Infections are independent apps that propagate quickly and carry out payloads—such as file deletion or the creation of botnets—to harm computers. Worms, in contrast to viruses, usually harm a computer system, even if it's just through bandwidth use. By taking advantage of holes in security or other vulnerabilities on the target computer, they spread throughout computer networks.
Ransomware: It causes serious commercial and organisational harm to people and businesses by encrypting data and demanding payment to unlock it. The daily operations of the victim organisation are somewhat disrupted, and they need to pay a ransom to get them back. It is not certain, though, that the financial transaction will be successful or that they will receive a working translation key.
Adware: It can be controlled via notification restrictions or ad-blockers, tracks user activities and delivers unsolicited advertisements. Adware poses concerns to users' privacy even though it's not always malevolent since the information it collects is frequently combined with information gathered from other places and used to build user profiles without their permission or knowledge.
Spyware: It can proliferate via malicious software or authentic software downloads, taking advantage of confidential data. This kind of spyware gathers data on users' actions without their authorisation or agreement, including:Internet activityBanking login credentialsPasswordsPersonally Identifiable Information (PII)
Navigating the Mobile Security Landscape
App-Centric Development: Regarding mobile security, app-centric protections are a crucial area of focus. Application authorisations should be regularly reviewed and adjusted to guarantee that applications only access the knowledge that is essential and to lower the probability of data misuse. Users can limit hazards and have greater oversight over their confidentiality by closely monitoring these settings. Installing trustworthy mobile security apps also adds another line of protection. With capabilities like app analysis, real-time protection, and antivirus scanning, these speciality apps strengthen your gadget's protection against malware and other harmful activity.
Network Security: Setting priorities for secure communication procedures is crucial for safeguarding confidential data and thwarting conceivable dangers in mobile security. Avoiding unprotected public Wi-Fi networks is essential since they may be vulnerable to cyberattacks. To lessen the chance of unwelcome entry and data surveillance, promote the usage of reliable, password-protected networks instead. Furthermore, by encrypting data transfer, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) provide additional protection and make it more difficult for malevolent actors to corrupt information. To further improve security, avoid using public Wi-Fi for essential transactions and hold off until a secure network is available. Users can strengthen their handheld gadgets against possible privacy breaches by implementing these practices, which can dramatically lower the risk of data eavesdropping and illegal access.
Constant development: Maintaining a robust mobile security approach requires a dedication to constant development. Adopt a proactive stance by continuously improving and modifying your security protocols. By following up on recurring outreach and awareness campaigns, you can stay updated about new hazards. Because cybersecurity is a dynamic field, maintaining one step ahead and utilising emerging technologies is essential. Stay updated with security changes, implement the newest safeguards, and incorporate new industry standard procedures into your plan. This dedication to ongoing development creates a flexible barrier, strengthening your resistance to constantly evolving mobile security threats.
Threat emergency preparedness: To start, familiarise yourself with the ever-changing terrain associated with mobile dangers to security. Keep updated on new threats including malware, phishing, and illegal access.
Sturdy Device Management: Put in place a thorough approach to device management. This includes frequent upgrades, safe locking systems, and additional safeguarding capabilities like remote surveillance and erasing.
Customer Alertness: Emphasise proper online conduct and acquaint yourself and your team with potential hazards, such as phishing efforts.
Dynamic Measures for a Robust Wireless Safety Plan
In the dynamic field of mobile assurances, taking a proactive strategy is critical. To strengthen safeguards, thoroughly research common risks like malware, phishing, and illegal access. Establish a strong device management strategy that includes frequent upgrades, safe locking mechanisms, and remote monitoring and deletion capabilities for added security.
Promoting user awareness by educating people so they can identify and block any hazards, especially regarding phishing attempts. Reduce the dangers of data eavesdropping and illegal access by emphasising safe communication practices, using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and avoiding public Wi-Fi for essential transactions.
Pay close attention to app-centric integrity by periodically checking and modifying entitlements. Downloading trustworthy mobile security apps skilled at thwarting malware and other unwanted activity will enhance your smartphone's defenses. Lastly, create an atmosphere of continuous development by keeping up with new threats and utilising developing technology to make your handheld security plan more resilient overall.
Conclusion
Mobile privacy threats grow as portable electronics become increasingly integrated into daily activities. Effective defense requires knowledge of the various types of malware, such as worms, ransomware, adware, and spyware. Tools for Mobile Threat Defense, which prioritise vulnerability assessment, management, anomaly detection, connection privacy, and program monitoring, are essential. App-centric development, secure networking procedures, ongoing enhancement, threat readiness, strong device control, and user comprehension are all components of a complete mobile security strategy. People, as well as organisations, can strengthen their defenses against changing mobile security threats by implementing dynamic measures and maintaining vigilance, thereby guaranteeing safe and resilient mobile surrounding.
References
https://www.titanfile.com/blog/types-of-computer-malware/
https://www.simplilearn.com/what-is-a-trojan-malware-article
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/latest-anti-analysis-tactics-guloader-malware-revealed-ukhxc/?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_more-articles_related-content-card
