Wednesday 27 November 2019

After WhatsApp row, Google warned 500 Indians of ‘govt-backed’ hacking

The affected users were spread across 149 countries, and the number was similar to (up or down 10 per cent) the number of warnings sent in the same period of 2018 and 2017
After WhatsApp row, Google warned 500 Indians of 'govt-backed' hacking
Nearly a month after WhatsApp made its now controversial revelations about an Israeli software being used to snoop on Indian citizens, Google said on Tuesday that about 500 users from India were among 12,000 people informed about being targeted by ‘government-backed attackers’ between July and September this year.
The affected users were spread across 149 countries, and the number was similar to (up or down 10 per cent) the number of warnings sent in the same period of 2018 and 2017, Shane Huntley from Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) said in a blogpost. “Over 90 per cent of these users were targeted via ‘credential phishing emails’… these are usually attempts to obtain the target’s password or other account credentials to hijack their account,” he said.
As an example, Huntley explains how a phishing attempt works. An attacker sends an authentic-looking email, which can be made to look like it was sent from Google, with a security alert. A subtle difference in spelling like ‘Goolge’ would be the only difference and clue for the user. The mail suggests that the user secure their account. The user clicks the link, enters their password, and may also get asked for a security code if they have two-factor authentication enabled, allowing the attacker to access their account.
A phishing attack could also mimic an existing website or webpage and trick a user into entering confidential information on the page. Phishing attacks in India have been on the rise. In response to a question asked in Lok Sabha on Wednesday regarding cyberattacks in India,..Click Here

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