#FactCheck - "Viral Video Falsely Claimed as Evidence of Attacks in Bangladesh is False & Misleading”

Introduction

In the dynamic realm of online gaming, where virtual worlds and competitive landscapes converge, ensuring the safety of players has become an imperative task. As the digital gaming community expands, so do the challenges of navigating potential risks and threats. There is a need for crucial strategies and measures aimed at safeguarding players and fostering a secure environment where gamers can fully immerse themselves in their passion without compromising their well-being. Online gaming, a thriving industry, makes gamers attractive targets for cyber theft, including account takeovers (ATO). ATO involves stealing characters, inventory, in-game currencies, achievements, and skins, with high-level accounts as prime targets. Gamers face real-life consequences as fraud within games can compromise personal information, including location, credentials, credit card details, and more. Protecting oneself involves maintaining privacy in sharing information, enabling two-factor authentication, and employing strong, unique passwords with security solutions that provide additional safeguards for an uninterrupted gaming experience.

Online Gaming Carries The Following Major Risks

Viruses and malware: Searching for less expensive or free downloads of your preferred games puts you in danger of accidentally downloading malware and viruses.

Theft of identity: Hackers gather information that is personally identifiable to create victimised identities. The chat feature is one of the possible risks of playing video games online with random people.

Invasion of a profile: It's not advisable to use an identical password and username across all of your preferred video game platforms since if hackers manage to obtain your login information, they may hack all of your player accounts and perhaps take control of them.

Swatting and doxing: Doxxing is the practice of hackers publishing your residential location or telephone number online after obtaining your private data. Swatting is a dangerous harassment tactic originating from online gaming, involving false emergency reports to provoke an excessive police response at the unsuspecting victim's location.

How Hacking Poses Serious Risks to Online Gaming Security

The video game industry has experienced rapid growth in recent times, catering to millions of players throughout the globe who relish an extensive array of engaging adventures. But because of its widespread use, hackers are now more likely to target it in an attempt to take advantage of its weaknesses.

Hackers are drawn to the gaming business for a number of reasons.

Due to its enormous income potential, this sector is an appealing option for investment. Players' large audience offers a treasure trove of private data that can be used for fraudulent transactions and other nefarious activities. Because of its high exposure, the sector is a tempting target for attackers looking to achieve recognition or make an impression. Customers wish to add modifications, cheats, or other external software to their contest, which increases the threat. In this sector, there is fierce competition, and winners take home large cash awards. This encourages players to use DDoS attacks to their advantage in order to outperform their rivals.

Importance of Secure Servers

Upgrade server applications and Modifications

Maintaining the most recent versions of all server software is a basic step in gaming server security. Updates and patches are regularly released by developers to address security flaws, therefore it's imperative to install them right away. If you ignore updates, your server becomes vulnerable to known vulnerabilities and a prime target for cybercriminals.

Put Strict Access Controls in Place

It is essential to manage who has permission to access your gaming system to avoid violations and unwanted access. Use strong password regulations and mandate complicated passwords for administrators on the system.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) into place

Restrict access rights to those who need them for administrative tasks to lessen the possibility of unlicensed individuals taking over a server.Safety Measures Players should be urged to adhere to best practices, which include:

Using secure passwords.

Avoid clicking on dubious links.

Updating software & apps regularly.

Upgrading antivirus software regularlyImproving cybersecurity practices and bringing attention to possible risks can greatly improve the general population's safety in gaming.

Conclusion

The internet gaming industry's rapid expansion has resulted in increased security threats in addition to recreation. Players confront various threats, including growing hacking attempts, sensitive information leaks, malware, identity theft, and doxing. To reduce these dangers, secure servers are essential. They emphasise the importance of frequent upgrades, restricting access, and user training. It becomes essential to enable security measures to keep ahead of emerging dangers. Enhancing safety measures guarantees a more secure gaming environment, safeguarding the large population that participates in this quickly changing digital space.

References

‍https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/unlocking-power-player-behavior-analysis-anybraingg/?trk=organization_guest_main-feed-card_feed-article-content

‍https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/top-10-online-gaming-risks

‍https://www.imperva.com/blog/cyber-attacks-gaming-industry/

‍https://www.techslang.com/securing-gaming-servers-cybersecurity-best-practices-for-online-gaming-communities/

‍https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/1/13/16888710/barris-swatting-death-charges

‍

In a recent ruling, a U.S. federal judge sided with Meta in a copyright lawsuit brought by a group of prominent authors who alleged that their works were illegally used to train Meta’s LLaMA language model. While this seems like a significant legal victory for the tech giant, it may not be so. Rather, this is a good case study for creators in the USA to refine their legal strategies and for policymakers worldwide to act quickly to shape the rules of engagement between AI and intellectual property.

The Case: Meta vs. Authors

In Kadrey v. Meta, the plaintiffs alleged that Meta trained its LLaMA models on pirated copies of their books, violating copyright law. However, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ruled that the authors failed to prove two critical things: that their copyrighted works had been used in a way that harmed their market and that such use was not “transformative.” In fact, the judge ruled that converting text into numerical representations to train an AI was sufficiently transformative under the U.S. fair use doctrine. He also noted that the authors’ failure to demonstrate economic harm undermined their claims. Importantly, he clarified that this ruling does not mean that all AI training data usage is lawful, only that the plaintiffs didn’t make a strong enough case.

Meta even admitted that some data was sourced from pirate sites like LibGen, but the Judge still found that fair use could apply because the usage was transformative and non-exploitative.

A Tenuous Win

Chhabria’s decision emphasised that this is not a blanket endorsement of using copyrighted content in AI training. The judgment leaned heavily on the procedural weakness of the case and not necessarily on the inherent legality of Meta’s practices.

Policy experts are warning that U.S. courts are currently interpreting AI training as fair use in narrow cases, but the rulings may not set the strongest judicial precedent. The application of law could change with clearer evidence of commercial harm or a more direct use of content. 

Moreover, the ruling does not address whether authors or publishers should have the right to opt out of AI model training, a concern that is gaining momentum globally.

Implications for India

The case highlights a glaring gap in India’s copyright regime: it is outdated. Since most AI companies are located in the U.S., courts have had the opportunity to examine copyright in the context of AI-generated content. India has yet to start. Recently, news agency ANI filed a case alleging copyright infringement against OpenAI for training on its copyrighted material. However, the case is only at an interim stage. The final outcome of the case will have a significant impact on the legality of these language models being able to use copyrighted material for training.

Considering that India aims to develop “state-of-the-art foundational AI models trained on Indian datasets” under the IndiaAI Mission, the lack of clear legal guidance on what constitutes fair dealing when using copyrighted material for AI training is a significant gap.  

Thus, key points of consideration for policymakers include: 

• Need for Fair Dealing Clarity: India’s fair-dealing provisions under the Copyright Act, 1957, are narrower than U.S. fair use. The doctrine may have to be reviewed to strike a balance between this law and the requirement of diverse datasets to develop foundational models rooted in Indian contexts. A parallel concern regarding data privacy also arises. 
• Push for Opt-Out or Licensing Mechanisms: India should consider whether to introduce a framework that requires companies to license training data or provide an opt-out system for creators, especially given the volume of Indian content being scraped by global AI systems.
• Digital Public Infrastructure for AI: India’s policymakers could take this opportunity to invest in public datasets, especially in regional languages, that are both high quality and legally safe for AI training.
• Protecting Local Creators: India needs to ensure that its authors, filmmakers, educators and journalists are protected from having their work repurposed without compensation, since power asymmetries between Big Tech and local creators can lead to exploitation of the latter.

Conclusion

The ruling in Meta’s favour is just one win for the developer. The real questions about consent, compensation and creative control remain unanswered. Meanwhile, the lesson for India is urgent: it needs AI policies that balance innovation with creator rights and provide legal certainty and ethical safeguards as it accelerates its AI ecosystem. Further, as global tech firms race ahead, India must not remain a passive data source; it must set the terms of its digital future. This will help the country move a step closer to achieving its goal of building sovereign AI capacity and becoming a hub for digital innovation.

References

• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/26/meta-wins-ai-copyright-lawsuit-as-us-judge-rules-against-authors 
• https://www.wired.com/story/meta-scores-victory-ai-copyright-case/ 
• https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/25/meta-llama-ai-copyright-ruling.html 
• https://www.mondaq.com/india/copyright/1348352/what-is-fair-use-of-copyright-doctrine 
• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2113095#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20key%20pillars,models%20trained%20on%20Indian%20datasets. ‍
• https://www.ndtvprofit.com/law-and-policy/ani-vs-openai-delhi-high-court-seeks-responses-on-copyright-infringement-charges-against-chatgpt

Introduction

According to a new McAfee survey, 88% of American customers believe that cybercriminals will utilize artificial intelligence to "create compelling online scams" over the festive period. In the meanwhile, 31% believe it will be more difficult to determine whether messages from merchants or delivery services are genuine, while 57% believe phishing emails and texts will be more credible. The study, which was conducted in September 2023 in the United States, Australia, India, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan, yielded 7,100 responses. Some people may decide to cut back on their online shopping as a result of their worries about AI; among those surveyed, 19% stated they would do so this year. 

In 2024, McAfee predicts a rise in AI-driven scams on social media, with cybercriminals using advanced tools to create convincing fake content, exploiting celebrity and influencer identities. Deepfake technology may worsen cyberbullying, enabling the creation of realistic fake content. Charity fraud is expected to rise, leveraging AI to set up fake charity sites. AI's use by cybercriminals will accelerate the development of advanced malware, phishing, and voice/visual cloning scams targeting mobile devices. The 2024 Olympic Games are seen as a breeding ground for scams, with cybercriminals targeting fans for tickets, travel, and exclusive content.

AI Scams' Increase on Social Media

Cybercriminals plan to use strong artificial intelligence capabilities to control social media by 2024. These applications become networking goldmines because they make it possible to create realistic images, videos, and audio. Anticipate the exploitation of influencers and popular identities by cybercriminals. 

AI-powered Deepfakes and the Rise in Cyberbullying

The negative turn that cyberbullying might take in 2024 with the use of counterfeit technology is one trend to be concerned about. This cutting-edge technique is freely accessible to youngsters, who can use it to produce eerily convincing synthetic content that compromises victims' privacy, identities, and wellness.

In addition to sharing false information, cyberbullies have the ability to alter public photographs and re-share edited, detailed versions, which exacerbates the suffering done to children and their families. The study issues a warning, stating that deepfake technology would probably cause online harassment to take a negative turn. With this sophisticated tool, young adults may now generate frighteningly accurate synthetic content in addition to using it for fun. The increasing severity of these deceptive pictures and phrases can cause serious, long-lasting harm to children and their families, impairing their identity, privacy, and overall happiness.

Evolvement of GenAI Fraud in 2023

We simply cannot get enough of these persistent frauds and fake emails. People in general are now rather adept at [recognizing] those that are used extensively. But if they become more precise, such as by utilizing AI-generated audio to seem like a loved one's distress call or information that is highly personal to the person,  users should be much more cautious about them. The rise in popularity of generative AIs brings with it a new wrinkle, as hackers can utilize these systems to refine their attacks:

• Writing communications more skillfully in order to deceive consumers into sending sensitive information, clicking on a link, or uploading a file.
• Recreate emails and business websites as realistically as possible to prevent arousing concern in the minds of the perpetrators.
• People's faces and voices can be cloned, and deepfakes of sounds or images can be created that are undetectable to the target audience. a problem that has the potential to greatly influence schemes like CEO fraud.
• Because generative AIs can now hold conversations, and respond to victims efficiently.
• Conduct psychological manipulation initiatives more quickly, with less money spent, and with greater complexity and difficulty in detecting them. AI generative already in use in the market can write texts, clone voices, or generate images and program websites.

AI Hastens the Development of Malware and Scams

Even while artificial intelligence (AI) has many uses, cybercriminals are becoming more and more dangerous with it. Artificial intelligence facilitates the rapid creation of sophisticated malware, illicit web pages, and plausible phishing and smishing emails. As these risks become more accessible, mobile devices will be attacked more frequently, with a particular emphasis on audio and visual impersonation schemes.

Olympic Games: A Haven for Scammers

The 2024 Olympic Games are seen as a breeding ground for scams, with cybercriminals targeting fans for tickets, travel, and exclusive content. Cybercriminals are skilled at profiting from big occasions, and the buzz that will surround the 2024 Olympic Games around the world will make it an ideal time for scams. Con artists will take advantage of customers' excitement by focusing on followers who are ready to purchase tickets, arrange travel, obtain special content, and take part in giveaways. During this prominent event, vigilance is essential to avoid an invasion of one's personal records and financial data. 

Development of McAfee’s own bot to assist users in screening potential scammers and authenticators for messages they receive

Precisely such kind of technology is under the process of development by McAfee. It's critical to emphasize that solving the issue is a continuous process. AI is being manipulated by bad actors and thus, one of the tricksters can pull off is to exploit the fact that consumers fall for various ruses as parameters to train advanced algorithms. Thus, the con artists may make use of the gadgets, test them on big user bases, and improve with time.

Conclusion

According to the McAfee report, 88% of American customers are consistently concerned about AI-driven internet frauds that target them around the holidays. Social networking poses a growing threat to users' privacy. By 2024, hackers hope to take advantage of AI skills and use deepfake technology to exacerbate harassment. By mimicking voices and faces for intricate schemes, generative AI advances complex fraud. The surge in charitable fraud affects both social and financial aspects, and the 2024 Olympic Games could serve as a haven for scammers. The creation of McAfee's screening bot highlights the ongoing struggle against developing AI threats and highlights the need for continuous modification and increased user comprehension in order to combat increasingly complex cyber deception.

References

• https://www.fonearena.com/blog/412579/deepfake-surge-ai-scams-2024.html
• https://cxotoday.com/press-release/mcafee-reveals-2024-cybersecurity-predictions-advancement-of-ai-shapes-the-future-of-online-scams/#:~:text=McAfee%20Corp.%2C%20a%20global%20leader,and%20increasingly%20sophisticated%20cyber%20scams.
• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/deep-fakes-ai-scams-and-other-tools-cybercriminals-could-use-to-steal-your-money-and-personal-details-in-2024/articleshow/106126288.cms
• https://digiday.com/media-buying/mcafees-cto-on-ai-and-the-cat-and-mouse-game-with-holiday-scams/