As per latest reports, they attempted to target around 100 personnel of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, paramilitary forces and state police in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
Besides Sejal, Nishant had also chatted with Neha Sharma and Pooja Ranjan, both of which were fake profiles created by the ISI.
There has been an increase in ransomware attacks and sophisticated espionage attempts to hack into the mobile phones of prominent figures in the past few years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Cyber experts and state-run security agencies such as the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) regularly warn citizens about the threat of malware-laden applications and urge them to stay away from dubious websites, but people still fall prey to online scams.
Here are some valuable tips to protect yourself from being hacked:
1) Do not install apps from third-party app stores or unknown websites
2) Always be cautious when downloading apps developed by unfamiliar developers, even if they are from official platforms such as Google Play/Apple App Store/Microsoft Windows Store.
3) Always check the reviews of any app before installing it on your device. There will always be telltale signs and complaints where previous customers have faced productivity issues or the app did not work as advertised.
4) Never install any app from website URLs shared on messenger apps, even if your friends or family members send it to you.
5) As mentioned earlier, do not install unknown chat or messenger apps as they are likely used to ensnare potential victims.
6) If you work for a large company or government agency, do not store any confidential office related documents or trade secrets on your personal computer. Most companies provide you with a work computer at home and you use that only.
7) Don’t install social media apps or third-party apps on your office computer
