#FactCheck - Suryakumar Yadav–Salman Ali Agha Handshake Row: Viral Image Found AI-Generated

Introduction

Cert-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) has recently issued the “Guidelines on Information Security Practices” for Government Entities for Safe & Trusted Internet. The guideline has come at a critical time when the Draft Digital India Bill is about to be released, which is aimed at revamping the legal aspects of Indian cyberspace. These guidelines lay down the policy framework and the requirements for critical infrastructure for all government organisations and institutions to improve the overall cyber security of the nation.

What is Cert-In?

A Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a group of information security experts responsible for the protection against, detection of and response to an organisation’s cybersecurity incidents. A CERT may focus on resolving data breaches and denial-of-service attacks and providing alerts and incident handling guidelines. CERTs also conduct ongoing public awareness campaigns and engage in research aimed at improving security systems. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) oversees CERT-In. It regularly releases alerts to help individuals and companies safeguard their data, information, and ICT (Information and Communications Technology) infrastructure.

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has been established and appointed as national agency in respect of cyber incidents and cyber security incidents in terms of the provisions of section 70B of Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000.

CERT-In requests information from service providers, intermediaries, data centres, and body corporates to coordinate reaction actions and emergency procedures regarding cyber security incidents. It is a focal point for incident reporting and offers round-the-clock security services.  It manages cyber occurrences that are tracked and reported while continuously analysing cyber risks. It strengthens the security barriers for the Indian Internet domain.

Background

India is fast becoming one of the world’s largest connected nations – with over 80 Crore Indians  (Digital Nagriks) presently connected and using the Internet and cyberspace – and with this number is expected to touch 120 Crores in the coming few years. The Digital Nagriks of the country are using the Internet for business, education, finance and various applications and services including Digital Government services. Internet provides growth and innovation and at the same time it has seen rise in cybercrimes, user harm and other challenges to online safety. The policies of the Government are aimed at ensuring an Open, Safe & Trusted and Accountable Internet for its users. Government is fully cognizant and aware of the growing cyber security threats and attacks.

It is the Government of India’s objective to ensure that Digital Nagriks experience a Safe & Trusted Internet. Along with ubiquitous applications of Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) in almost all facets of service delivery and operations, continuously evolving cyber threats have become a concern for the Government. Cyber-attacks can come in the form of malware, ransomware, phishing, data breach etc., that adversely affect an organisation’s information and systems. Cyber threats leading to cyber-attacks or incidents can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of an organisation’s information and systems and can have far reaching impact on essential services and national interests. To protect against cyber threats, it is important for government entities to implement strong  cybersecurity measures and follow best practices. As ICT infrastructure of the Government entities is one of the preferred targets of the malicious actors, responsibility of implementing good cyber security practices for protecting computers, servers, applications, electronic systems, networks, and data from digital attacks, also remain with the ICT assets’ owner i.e. Government entity.

What are the new Guidelines about?

The Government of India (distribution of business) Rules, 1961’s First Schedule lists a number of Ministries, Departments, Secretariats, and Offices, along with their affiliated and subordinate offices, which are all subject to the rules. They also comprise all governmental organisations, businesses operating in the public sector, and other governmental entities under their administrative control.

“The government has launched a number of steps to guarantee an accessible, trustworthy, and accountable digital environment. With a focus on capabilities, systems, human resources, and awareness, we are extending and speeding our work in the area of cyber security, according to Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics, Information Technology, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship.

The Recommendations

• Various security domains are covered in the standards, including network security, identity and access management, application security, data security, third-party outsourcing, hardening procedures, security monitoring, incident management, and security audits.
• For instance, the rules advise using only a Standard User (non-administrator) account to use computers and laptops for regular work regarding desktop, laptop, and printer security in the workplace. Users may only be granted administrative access with the CISO’s consent.
• The usage of lengthy passwords containing at least eight characters that combine capital letters, tiny letters, numerals, and special characters; Never save any usernames or passwords in your web browser. Likewise, never save any payment-related data there.
• They include guidelines created by the National Informatics Centre for Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and staff members of Central government Ministries/Departments to improve cyber security and cyber hygiene in addition to adhering to industry best practises.

Conclusion

The government has been proactive in the contemporary times to eradicate the menace of cybercrimes and therreats from the Indian cyberspace and hence now we have seen a series of new bills and polices introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and various other government organisations like Cert-In and TRAI. These policies have been aimed towards being relevant to time and current technologies. The threats from emerging technologies like web 3.0 cannot be ignored and hence with active netizen participation and synergy between government and corporates will lead to a better and improved cyber ecosystem in India.

Executive Summary:

A viral video of the Argentina football team dancing in the dressing room to a Bhojpuri song is being circulated in social media. After analyzing the originality, CyberPeace Research Team discovered that this video was altered and the music was edited. The original footage was posted by former Argentine footballer Sergio Leonel Aguero in his official Instagram page on 19th December 2022. Lionel Messi and his teammates were shown celebrating their win at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Contrary to viral video, the song in this real-life video is not from Bhojpuri language. The viral video is cropped from a part of Aguero’s upload and the audio of the clip has been changed to incorporate the Bhojpuri song. Therefore, it is concluded that the Argentinian team dancing to Bhojpuri song is misleading.

‍

Claims:

A video of the Argentina football team dancing to a Bhojpuri song after victory.

‍

Fact Check:

On receiving these posts, we split the video into frames, performed the reverse image search on one of these frames and found a video uploaded to the SKY SPORTS website on 19 December 2022.

‍

We found that this is the same clip as in the viral video but the celebration differs. Upon further analysis, We also found a live video uploaded by Argentinian footballer Sergio Leonel Aguero on his Instagram account on 19th December 2022. The viral video was a clip from his live video and the song or music that’s playing is not a Bhojpuri song. 

‍

Thus this proves that the news that circulates in the social media in regards to the viral video of Argentina football team dancing Bhojpuri is false and misleading. People should always ensure to check its authenticity before sharing.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the video that appears to show Argentina’s football team dancing to a Bhojpuri song is fake. It is a manipulated version of an original clip celebrating their 2022 FIFA World Cup victory, with the song altered to include a Bhojpuri song. This confirms that the claim circulating on social media is false and misleading.

• Claim: A viral video of the Argentina football team dancing to a Bhojpuri song after victory.
• Claimed on: Instagram, YouTube
• Fact Check: Fake & Misleading

‍

‍

Every year, a few days before Diwali, our phone starts filling up. Rangoli photos, family reunions, new cars, sweet boxes, "we're off to Goa" stories. We enjoy all of it. We also know that somewhere, a scammer is enjoying it too, and taking notes. Festivals bring out our generosity, but also our hurry habit of sharing everything online. Fraudsters have learned to use all. So this is not a lecture about staying off the internet. It is a short guide to enjoying the festival online without handing someone the keys to your house, your bank account or your phone.

When the discount is the trap

A branded phone at half price. A timer counting down from ten minutes. “Only 8 pieces left.” None of it is new, and all of it works, because the goal is to stop the buyer from thinking. A person who pauses will compare prices, look up the seller and wonder why anyone would sell an iPhone at a loss. A person who thinks the offer vanishes in ten minutes will skip all of that.

Lucky draws and “Diwali gifts” are the same trick with a different costume. The message says a hamper has been won and a small delivery or processing fee is needed. There is no hamper. In Secunderabad, a woman reportedly lost Rs 1,40,000 to exactly this kind of festive gift offer. One small fee, then another, then a request for card details, and the money is gone. 

A simple habit beats most of these: never trust the link. If a deal arrives in a message, open the brand’s own app or type the address by hand and look for the same offer. Real ones will be sitting there. Fake ones never are.

The file that looks like a greeting

Of all the festive tricks, the fake APK does the most damage. An APK is just the installer for an Android app. Apps from the Play Store get checked. A file that lands on WhatsApp or SMS gets checked by nobody, and tapping “install” hands it the run of the phone.

It arrives dressed as something harmless: a Diwali greeting app, a shopping app, a “pending challan”, a bank reward points update, a wedding invitation in file form. Once installed, it can read messages, which means the OTPs coming from the bank now reach someone else too. Some versions let the fraudster watch and control the screen.

There’s a case from Hyderabad that shows how ordinary it looks. A 69-year-old man in Azampura called a customer care number for a delivery app that turned out to be fake, was sent an installation file, and ended up losing more than Rs 1,02,000. No drama, no threats. Just a helpful voice and one tap. 

A few rules cover nearly all of it. Apps come from the official store only, and even there the developer name and download count deserve a look. “Install unknown apps” should stay off in settings. Banks do not send APK files for KYC, ever. Customer care numbers belong to the official app or website, never to a search result or a comment under a post. And if a relative sends a file, a phone call to them first is cheap insurance, since their account may have been hijacked without their knowing.

If a suspicious app has already gone in, switch on airplane mode straight away, uninstall it, call the bank from a different phone and change passwords from a clean device. Speed matters more than being sure.

Fake websites that look almost right

Copying a website’s look is easy. Copying its address is impossible, so scammers settle for an address that’s close enough to pass at a glance. A swapped letter, an extra hyphen, “.shop” or “.xyz” at the end instead of “.com”. On a phone screen, in a hurry, with the kids shouting about crackers, nobody notices.

The padlock icon doesn’t settle the question either. It only says the connection is encrypted, and scam sites get padlocks as easily as real ones. What does help is a slow read of the address before typing anything in, and a bit of suspicion toward any page reached from an ad or a forwarded link. Searching for the brand and going from there takes ten seconds.

Other giveaways are boring but reliable. No cash on delivery. Only UPI or bank transfer accepted. No return policy, no working phone number, no real address. Prices lower than every other shop on earth. A page with all of those is rarely a bargain.

Holiday bookings deserve their own warning. Around Diwali, fake resort and homestay listings pop up everywhere: a smart advertisement, a “manager” chatting on WhatsApp, a convincing receipt, and then nothing after the advance is paid. Booking through the property’s official site or a known platform, and confirming on the number listed there, closes most of that door.

What the post gives away

Not every risk comes as a link. Some of it comes from the timeline itself.

“Off to Goa for a week, can’t wait!” is also a message to anyone who’d like to know when the house is empty. Holiday pictures can wait until everyone’s back. The same goes for boarding passes and train tickets, which carry a barcode and booking reference that can be used to alter or cancel a trip. They look like souvenirs. They’re closer to keys.

Photos have a habit of showing more than intended. The family standing at the front door can reveal the house number, the nameplate and the lane. A school uniform shows the school. A live location tag at the airport, then the hotel, then the restaurant, draws a neat map of where the family is and where it isn’t. Pictures of cash envelopes, jewellery and new gadgets bring likes, and also attention nobody asked for.

A useful test before hitting post: what could a stranger work out from this, and what could they do with it? If the honest answer makes the stomach drop a little, crop it, blur it or save it for later. Children’s pictures deserve extra thought, because routines are easy to piece together from a few festive posts.

Charging on the way home

Millions travel home for Diwali, and railway stations, airports and bus stands are packed. Phones are at 4%. A free USB charging point is right there, and it looks like a blessing.

It can also be a problem. A USB cable carries power and data together, so a tampered port or a planted cable can try to push malware onto a phone or pull information off it. This is called juice jacking. Modern phones usually ask whether the connected device should be trusted, but a tired traveller taps “Allow” without reading, and that tap is exactly what the attacker is hoping for.

The fix is cheap. Carry a charger and use a regular wall socket. Keep a power bank charged before leaving home. If a USB port is the only choice, use a charge-only cable or a small data blocker, and refuse any prompt asking to trust the device. A cable found lying around, or one handed over by a friendly stranger, goes nowhere near the phone. Banking and payment apps also don’t belong on public Wi-Fi, however urgent the transfer feels.

Small things worth doing this week

Two-factor authentication on email, social media and banking takes five minutes and blocks a surprising number of break-ins. A quick look at privacy settings before the festive photos go up is worth the same five minutes. And a short chat with parents and grandparents helps more than any app: show them what a fake message looks like, and tell them that no bank, courier or company will ever ask for an OTP.

If money does go missing, time is the one thing that counts. The national cybercrime helpline is 1930, and complaints can be filed at cybercrime.gov.in. Reporting within the first few hours gives the best chance of freezing the transaction before it travels further.

Light the diyas, lock the phone

None of this means a quieter Diwali. The sweets, the lights and the photographs are the point of the whole thing. It just takes the same instinct that bolts the front door at night, pointed at the phone in the hand.

Let the diyas be the only thing on display. The OTPs, the location and the travel dates can stay at home.

Wishing everyone a safe, bright and happy Diwali.

‍