#FactCheck - Virat Kohli's Ganesh Chaturthi Video Falsely Linked to Ram Mandir Inauguration
Executive Summary:
Old footage of Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in September 2023 was being promoted as footage of Virat Kohli at the Ram Mandir Inauguration. A video of cricketer Virat Kohli attending a Ganesh Chaturthi celebration last year has surfaced, with the false claim that it shows him at the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22. The Hindi newspaper Dainik Bhaskar and Gujarati newspaper Divya Bhaskar also displayed the now-viral video in their respective editions on January 23, 2024, escalating the false claim. After thorough Investigation, it was found that the Video was old and it was Ganesh Chaturthi Festival where the cricketer attended.
Claims:
Many social media posts, including those from news outlets such as Dainik Bhaskar and Gujarati News Paper Divya Bhaskar, show him attending the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22, where after investigation it was found that the Video was of Virat Kohli attending Ganesh Chaturthi in September, 2023.
The caption of Dainik Bhaskar E-Paper reads, “ क्रिकेटर विराट कोहली भी नजर आए ”
Fact Check:
CyberPeace Research Team did a reverse Image Search of the Video where several results with the Same Black outfit was shared earlier, from where a Bollywood Entertainment Instagram Profile named Bollywood Society shared the same Video in its Page, the caption reads, “Virat Kohli snapped for Ganapaati Darshan” the post was made on 20 September, 2023.
Taking an indication from this we did some keyword search with the Information we have, and it was found in an article by Free Press Journal, Summarizing the article we got to know that Virat Kohli paid a visit to the residence of Shiv Sena leader Rahul Kanal to seek the blessings of Lord Ganpati. The Viral Video and the claim made by the news outlet is false and Misleading.
Conclusion:
The recent Claim made by the Viral Videos and News Outlet is an Old Footage of Virat Kohli attending Ganesh Chaturthi the Video back to the year 2023 but not of the recent auspicious day of Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha. To be noted that, we also confirmed that Virat Kohli hadn’t attended the Program; there was no confirmation that Virat Kohli attended on 22 January at Ayodhya. Hence, we found this claim to be fake.
- Claim: Virat Kohli attending the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22
- Claimed on: Youtube, X
- Fact Check: Fake
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Executive Summary:
Recently, CyberPeace faced a case involving a fraudulent Android application imitating the Punjab National Bank (PNB). The victim was tricked into downloading an APK file named "PNB.apk" via WhatsApp. After the victim installed the apk file, it resulted in unauthorized multiple transactions on multiple credit cards.
Case Study: The Attack: Social Engineering Meets Malware
The incident started when the victim clicked on a Facebook ad for a PNB credit card. After submitting basic personal information, the victim receives a WhatsApp call from a profile displaying the PNB logo. The attacker, posing as a bank representative, fakes the benefits and features of the Credit Card and convinces the victim to install an application named PNB.apk. The so called bank representative sent the app through WhatsApp, claiming it would expedite the credit card application. The application was installed in the mobile device as a customer care application. It asks for permissions such as to send or view SMS messages. The application opens only if the user provides this permission.
It extracts the credit card details from the user such as Full Name, Mobile Number, complain, on further pages irrespective of Refund, Pay or Other. On further processing, it asks for other information such as credit card number, expiry date and cvv number.
Now the scammer has access to all the details of the credit card information, access to read or view the sms to intercept OTPs.
The victim, thinking they were securely navigating the official PNB website, was unaware that the malware was granting the hacker remote access to their phone. This led to ₹4 lakhs worth of 11 unauthorized transactions across three credit cards.
The Investigation & Analysis:
Upon receiving the case through CyberPeace helpline, the CyberPeace Research Team acted swiftly to neutralize the threat and secure the victim’s device. Using a secure remote access tool, we gained control of the phone with the victim’s consent. Our first step was identifying and removing the malicious "PNB.apk" file, ensuring no residual malware was left behind.
Next, we implemented crucial cyber hygiene practices:
- Revoking unnecessary permissions – to prevent further unauthorized access.
- Running antivirus scans – to detect any remaining threats.
- Clearing sensitive data caches – to remove stored credentials and tokens.
The CyberPeace Helpline team assisted the victim to report the fraud to the National Cybercrime Portal and helpline (1930) and promptly blocked the compromised credit cards.
The technical analysis for the app was taken ahead and by using the md5 hash file id. This app was marked as malware in virustotal and it has all the permissions such as Send/Receive/Read SMS, System Alert Window.
In the similar way, we have found another application in the name of “Axis Bank” which is circulated through whatsapp which is having similar permission access and the details found in virus total are as follows:
Recommendations:
This case study implies the increasingly sophisticated methods used by cybercriminals, blending social engineering with advanced malware. Key lessons include:
- Be vigilant when downloading the applications, even if they appear to be from legitimate sources. It is advised to install any application after checking through an application store and not through any social media.
- Always review app permissions before granting access.
- Verify the identity of anyone claiming to represent financial institutions.
- Use remote access tools responsibly for effective intervention during a cyber incident.
By acting quickly and following the proper protocols, we successfully secured the victim’s device and prevented further financial loss.
Executive Summary:
A video that circulated on social media to show Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi inside a helicopter moments before the tragic crash on May 20, 2024, has equally been proven to be fake. The validation of information leaves no doubt, that the video was shot in January 2024, which showed Raisi’s visiting Nemroud Reservoir Dam project. As a means of verifying the origin of the video, the CyberPeace Research Team conducted reverse image search and analyzed the information obtained from the Islamic Republic News Agency, Mehran News, and the Iranian Students’ News Agency. Further, the associated press pointed out inconsistencies between the part in the video that went viral and the segment that was shown by Iranian state television. The original video is old and it is not related to the tragic crash as there is incongruence between the snowy background and the green landscape with a river presented in the clip.
Claims:
A video circulating on social media claims to show Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi inside a helicopter an hour before his fatal crash.
Fact Check:
Upon receiving the posts, in some of the social media posts we found some similar watermarks of the IRNA News agency and Nouk-e-Qalam News.
Taking a cue from this, we performed a keyword search to find any credible source of the shared video, but we found no such video uploaded by the IRNA News agency on their website. Recently, they haven’t uploaded any video regarding the viral news.
We closely analyzed the video, it can be seen that President Ebrahim Raisi was watching outside the snow-covered mountain, but in the internet-available footage regarding the accident, there were no such snow-covered mountains that could be seen but green forest.
We then checked for any social media posts uploaded by IRNA News Agency and found that they had uploaded the same video on X on January 18, 2024. The post clearly indicates the President’s aerial visit to Nemroud Dam.
The viral video is old and does not contain scenes that appear before the tragic chopper crash involving President Raisi.
Conclusion:
The viral clip is not related to the fatal crash of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter and is actually from a January 2024 visit to the Nemroud Reservoir Dam project. The claim that the video shows visuals before the crash is false and misleading.
- Claim: Viral Video of Iranian President Raisi was shot before fatal chopper crash.
- Claimed on: X (Formerly known as Twitter), YouTube, Instagram
- Fact Check: Fake & Misleading
Executive Summary:
A social media video claims that India's Udhampur Air Force Station was destroyed by Pakistan's JF-17 fighter jets. According to official sources, the Udhampur base is still fully operational, and our research proves that the video was produced by artificial intelligence. The growing problem of AI-driven disinformation in the digital age is highlighted by this incident.
Claim:
A viral video alleges that Pakistan's JF-17 fighter jets successfully destroyed the Udhampur Air Force Base in India. The footage shows aircraft engulfed in flames, accompanied by narration claiming the base's destruction during recent cross-border hostilities.
Fact Check :
The Udhampur Air Force Station was destroyed by Pakistani JF-17 fighter jets, according to a recent viral video that has been shown to be completely untrue. The audio and visuals in the video have been conclusively identified as AI-generated based on a thorough analysis using AI detection tools such as Hive Moderation. The footage was found to contain synthetic elements by Hive Moderation, confirming that the images were altered to deceive viewers. Further undermining the untrue claims in the video is the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of India, which has clearly declared that the Udhampur Airbase is still fully operational and has not been the scene of any such attack.
Our analysis of recent disinformation campaigns highlights the growing concern that AI-generated content is being weaponized to spread misinformation and incite panic, which is highlighted by the purposeful misattribution of the video to a military attack.
Conclusion:
It is untrue that the Udhampur Air Force Station was destroyed by Pakistan's JF-17 fighter jets. This claim is supported by an AI-generated video that presents irrelevant footage incorrectly. The Udhampur base is still intact and fully functional, according to official sources. This incident emphasizes how crucial it is to confirm information from reliable sources, particularly during periods of elevated geopolitical tension.
- Claim: Recent video footage shows destruction caused by Pakistani jets at the Udhampur Airbase.
- Claimed On: Social Media
- Fact Check: False and Misleading
