#FactCheck-Viral Video of Monkey Saving Child Hanging From Balcony Is AI-Generated

In the Intricate mazes of the digital world, where the line between reality and illusion blurs, the quest for truth becomes a Sisyphean task. The recent firestorm of rumours surrounding global pop icon Dua Lipa's visit to Rajasthan, India, is a poignant example of this modern Dilemma. A single image, plucked from the continuum of time and stripped of context, became the fulcrum upon which a narrative of sexual harassment was precariously balanced. This incident, a mere droplet in the ocean of digital discourse, encapsulates the broader phenomenon of misinformation—a spectre that haunts the virtual halls of our interconnected existence.

Misinformation Incident

Amidst the ceaseless hum of social media, a claim surfaced with the tenacity of a weed in fertile soil: Dua Lipa, the three-time Grammy Award winner, had allegedly been subjected to sexual harassment during her sojourn in the historic city of Jodhpur. The evidence? A viral picture, its origins murky, accompanied by a caption that seemed to confirm the worst fears of her ardent followers. The digital populace quickly reacted, with many sharing the image, asserting the claim's veracity without pause for verification.

Unraveling the Fabric of Fake News: Fact-Checking Dua Lipa's India Experience

The narrative gained momentum through platforms of dubious credibility, such as the Twitter handle,' which, upon closer scrutiny by the Digital Forensics Research and Analytics Center, was revealed to be a purveyor of fake news. The very fabric of the claim began to unravel as the original photo was traced back to the official Facebook page of RVCJ Media, untainted by the allegations that had been so hastily ascribed to it. Moreover, the silence of Dua Lipa on the matter, rather than serving as a testament to the truth, inadvertently fueled the fires of speculation—a stark reminder of the paradox where the absence of denial is often misconstrued as an affirmation.

The pop star's words, shared on her Instagram account, painted a starkly different picture of her experience in India. She spoke not of fear and harassment, but of gratitude and joy, describing her trip as 'deeply meaningful' and expressing her luck to be 'within the magic' with her family. The juxtaposition of her heartfelt account with the sinister narrative constructed around her serves as a cautionary tale of the power of misinformation to distort and defile.

A Political Microcosm: Bye Elections of Telangana

Another incident is electoral misinformation, the political landscape of Telangana, India, bristled with anticipation as the Election Commission announced bye-elections for two Member of Legislative Council (MLC) seats. Here, too, the machinery of misinformation whirred into action, with political narratives being shaped and reshaped through the lens of partisan prisms. The electoral process, transparent in its intent, became susceptible to selective amplification, with certain facets magnified or distorted to fit entrenched political narratives. The bye-elections, thus, became a battleground not just for political supremacy but also for the integrity of information.

The Far-Reaching Claws of Misinformation: Fact Check

The misinformation regarding the experience of dua lipa upon India's visit and another incident of political Microcosm of Misinformation in Telangana are manifestations of a global challenge. Misinformation, adapts to the different contours of its environment, whether it be the gritty arena of politics or the glitzy realm of stardom. Its tentacles reach far and wide, with geopolitical implications that can destabilise regions, sow discord, and undermine the very pillars of democracy. The erosion of trust that misinformation engenders is perhaps its most insidious effect, as it chips away at the bedrock of societal cohesion and collective well-being.

Paradox of Technology 

The same technological developments that have allowed the spread of misinformation also hold the keys to its containment. Artificial intelligence-powered fact-checking tools, blockchain-enabled transparency counter-measures, and comprehensive digital literacy campaigns stand as bulwarks against falsehoods. These tools, however, are not panaceas; they require the active engagement and critical thinking skills of each digital citizen to be truly effective.

Conclusion

As we stand at the cusp of the digital age, the way forward demands vigilance, collaboration, and innovation. Cultivating a digitally literate person, capable of discerning the nuances of digital content, is paramount. Governments, the tech industry, media companies, and civil society must join forces in a common front, leveraging their collective expertise in the battle against misinformation. Promoting algorithmic accountability and fostering diverse information ecosystems will also be crucial in mitigating the inadvertent amplification of falsehoods.

In the end, discerning truth in the digital age is a delicate process. It requires us to be attuned to the rhythm of reality, and wary of the seductive allure of unverified claims. As we navigate this digital realm, remember that the truth is not just a destination but a journey that demands our unwavering commitment to the pursuit of what is real and what is right.

References 

• https://telanganatoday.com/eci-releases-schedule-for-bye-elections-to-two-mlc-seats-in-telangana
• https://www.oneindia.com/fact-check/was-pop-singer-dua-lipa-sexually-harassed-in-rajasthan-during-her-india-trip-heres-the-truth-3718833.html?story=3
• https://www.thequint.com/news/webqoof/edited-graphic-of-dua-lipa-being-sexually-harassed-in-jodhpur-falsely-shared-fact-check

WhatsApp messages masquerading as an offer from Maruti Suzuki with links luring unsuspecting users with the promise of Maruti Suzuki 40th Anniversary Celebration presents, have been making the rounds on the app. If you receive such messages try to stay away from it, as it can be a scam.

The Research Wing of CyberPeace Foundation along with Autobot Infosec Private Limited have conducted a study based on a WhatsApp message that contained a link pretending to be a free gift offer from Maruti Suzuki which asks users to participate in a survey in order to get a chance to win a Maruti Baleno Sigma MT car.

Warning SignsThe campaign pretends to be an offer from Maruti Suzuki but is hosted on a third party domain instead of the official Maruti Suzuki website which makes it more suspicious.

The domain names associated with the campaign have been registered in very recent times.

Multiple redirections have been noticed between the links.

No reputed site would ask its users to share the campaign on WhatsApp.

The prize is kept really attractive to lure the laymen.

Grammatical mistakes have been noticed.

A congratulations message appears on the landing page with an attractive photo of Maruti Suzuki cars that asks users to participate in a quick survey in order to get a “Maruti Suzuki BALENO Sigma MT”. Also, the bottom of the page seems to appear like a comment section with public comments establishing the truthfulness of the offer.

The survey starts with some basic questions like Do you know Maruti Suzuki?, How old are you?, How do you think of Maruti Suzuki?, Are you male or female? Etc. Once the user answers the questions a “congratulatory message” is displayed.

On clicking the OK button users are given three attempts to win the prize. After completing all the attempts a message pops up that the user has won “Maruti Suzuki BALENO Sigma MT”. It then prompts the user to share the message on WhatsApp.

Strangely enough the user has to keep clicking the WhatsApp button until the progress bar completes. After clicking on the green ‘WhatsApp’ button multiple times it shows a section where an instruction has been given to complete registration in order to get the prize.

After clicking on the green ‘Complete registration’ button, it redirects the user to multiple advertisements web pages varying each time the user clicks on the button.

During the analysis the research team found a javascript code called hm.js was being executed in the background from the host hm[.]baidu[.]com which is a subdomain of Baidu and is used for Baidu Analytics, also known as Baidu Tongji. The important part is that Baidu is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in Internet-related services, products and artificial intelligence, headquartered in Beijing’s Haidian district, China.To read the full report, please click (https://www.cyberpeace.org/CyberPeace/Repository/20210828Research-report-on-Maruti-Suzuki-40th-Anniversary-Celebration-free-gift-scam.pdf) here:

Conclusive Summary

1. The whole research activity was performed in a secured sandbox environment where the WhatsApp application was not installed. If any user opens the link from a device like smartphones where the WhatsApp application is installed, the sharing features on the site will open the Whatsapp application on the device to share the link.

2. The campaign collects browser and system information from the users.

3. Most of the domain names associated with the campaign have the registrant country as China.

4. Cybercriminals used Cloudflare technologies to mask the real IP addresses of the front-end domain names used in this Maruti Suzuki 40th Anniversary Celebration free gift campaign. But during the phases of investigation, the research team has identified a domain name that was requested in the background and has been traced as belonging to China.

CyberPeace Advisory

1. CyberPeace Foundation and Autobot Infosec recommend that people should avoid opening such messages sent via social platforms.

2. If at all, the user gets into this trap, it could lead to whole system compromise such as access to the microphone, Camera, Text Messages, Contacts, Pictures, Videos, Banking Applications, etc as well as financial losses.

3. Do not share confidential details like login credentials, banking information with such a type of scam.

4. Do not share or forward fake messages containing links without proper verification.

5. There is a need for International Cyber Cooperation between countries to bust the cybercriminal gangs running the fraud campaigns affecting individuals and organizations, to make Cyberspace resilient and peaceful.

Source: https://www.business-standard.com//content/press-releases-ani/cyber-criminals-target-internet-users-with-maruti-suzuki-40th-anniversary-celebration-free-gift-scam-121083101204_1.html

Introduction

Data Breaches have taken over cyberspace as one of the rising issues, these data breaches result in personal data making its way toward cybercriminals who use this data for no good. As netizens, it's our digital responsibility to be cognizant of our data and the data of one's organization. The increase in internet and technology penetration has made people move to cyberspace at a rapid pace, however, awareness regarding the same needs to be inculcated to maximise the data safety of netizens. The recent AIIMS cyber breach has got many organisations worried about their cyber safety and security. According to the HIPPA Journal, 66% of healthcare organizations reported ransomware attacks on them. Data management and security is the prime aspect of clients all across the industry and is now growing into a concern for many. The data is primarily classified into three broad terms-

• Personal Identified Information (PII) - Any representation of information that permits the identity of an individual to whom the information applies to be reasonably inferred by either direct or indirect means.
• Non-Public Information (NPI) - The personal information of an individual that is not and should not be available to the public. This includes Social Security Numbers, bank information, other personal identifiable financial information, and certain transactions with financial institutions.
• Material Non-Public Information (MNPI) - Data relating to a company that has not been made public but could have an impact on its share price. It is against the law for holders of nonpublic material information to use the information to their advantage in trading stocks.

This classification of data allows the industry to manage and secure data effectively and efficiently and at the same time, this allows the user to understand the uses of their data and its intensity in case of breach of data. Organisations process data that is a combination of the above-mentioned classifications and hence in instances of data breach this becomes a critical aspect. Coming back to the AIIMS data breach, it is a known fact that AIIMS is also an educational and research institution. So, one might assume that the reason for any attack on AIIMS could be either to exfiltrate patient data or could be to obtain hands-on the R & D data including research-related intellectual properties. If we postulate the latter, we could also imagine that other educational institutes of higher learning such as IITs, IISc, ISI, IISERs, IIITs, NITs, and some of the significant state universities could also be targeted. In 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Ministry of Education sent a directive to IITs and many other institutes to take certain steps related to cyber security measures and to create SoPs to establish efficient data management practices. The following sectors are critical in terms of data protection-

• Health sector
• Financial sector
• Education sector
• Automobile sector

These sectors are generally targeted by bad actors and often data breach from these sectors result in cyber crimes as the data is soon made available on Darkweb. These institutions need to practice compliance like any other corporate house as the end user here is the netizen and his/her data is of utmost importance in terms of protection.Organisations in today's time need to be in coherence to the advancement in cyberspace to find out keen shortcomings and vulnerabilities they may face and subsequently create safeguards for the same. The AIIMS breach is an example to learn from so that we can protect other organisations from such cyber attacks. To showcase strong and impenetrable cyber security every organisation should be able to answer these questions-

• Do you have a centralized cyber asset inventory?
• Do you have human resources that are trained to model possible cyber threats and cyber risk assessment?
• Have you ever undertaken a business continuity and resilience study of your institutional digitalized business processes?
• Do you have a formal vulnerability management system that enumerates vulnerabilities in your cyber assets and a patch management system that patches freshly discovered vulnerabilities?
• Do you have a formal configuration assessment and management system that checks the configuration of all your cyber assets and security tools (firewalls, antivirus management, proxy services) regularly to ensure they are most securely configured?
• Do have a segmented network such that your most critical assets (servers, databases, HPC resources, etc.) are in a separate network that is access-controlled and only people with proper permission can access?
• Do you have a cyber security policy that spells out the policies regarding the usage of cyber assets, protection of cyber assets, monitoring of cyber assets, authentication and access control policies, and asset lifecycle management strategies?
• Do you have a business continuity and cyber crisis management plan in place which is regularly exercised like fire drills so that in cases of exigencies such plans can easily be followed, and all stakeholders are properly trained to do their part during such emergencies?
• Do you have multi-factor authentication for all users implemented?
• Do you have a supply chain security policy for applications that are supplied by vendors? Do you have a vendor access policy that disallows providing network access to vendors for configuration, updates, etc?
• Do you have regular penetration testing of the cyberinfrastructure of the organization with proper red-teaming?
• Do you have a bug-bounty program for students who could report vulnerabilities they discover in your cyber infrastructure and get rewarded?
• Do you have an endpoint security monitoring tool mandatory for all critical endpoints such as database servers, application servers, and other important cyber assets?
• Do have a continuous network monitoring and alert generation tool installed?
• Do you have a comprehensive cyber security strategy that is reflected in your cyber security policy document?
• Do you regularly receive cyber security incidents (including small, medium, or high severity incidents, network scanning, etc) updates from your cyber security team in order to ensure that top management is aware of the situation on the ground?
• Do you have regular cyber security skills training for your cyber security team and your IT/OT engineers and employees?
• Do your top management show adequate support, and hold the cyber security team accountable on a regular basis?
• Do you have a proper and vetted backup and restoration policy and practice?

If any organisation has definite answers to these questions, it is safe to say that they have strong cyber security, these questions should not be taken as a comparison but as a checklist by various organisations to be up to date in regard to the technical measures and policies related to cyber security. Having a strong cyber security posture does not drive the cyber security risk to zero but it helps to reduce the risk and improves the fighting chance. Further, if a proper risk assessment is regularly carried out and high-risk cyber assets are properly protected, then the damages resulting from cyber attacks can be contained to a large extent.