NIA (National Investigation Agency) has started an inquiry into the use of fake Facebook profile through which various defense personnel was contacted and their devices hacked using malware for personally identifiable information. NIA suspects that the main account was being handled from Pakistan. Vijaywada Counter Intelligence Cell first found the spying campaign in 2020, after which it registered a case under several provisions of IPC, Official Secrets Act, Information Technology Act, and UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).
According to the allegation, confidential information related to national security was hacked via remotely deploying a hidden malware into electronic devices, which includes mobile phones and computers, belonging to defense personnels and other defense agencies via a FB account with the profile name "Shanti Patel." Actors handling the account added concerned personnel via private Facebook messenger chats on the web.
The victims' devices were hacked using malware to get unauthorized access to confidential data of computer resources and steal sensitive information with an aim to carry out acts of terrorism and threaten the unity, integrity, and sovereignty of India. As per the report from Counter Intelligence Cell, the threat actors distributed the malware by sending a folder that contained photos of a woman to the defense personnels. The evidence suggests that malware originated somewhere from Islamabad. A similar case happened last year where the police arrested army personnel in Rajasthan, the accused was posted in Sikkim.
The Hindu reports "on October 31, 2020, following a tip-off from the Military Intelligence, the Rajasthan police nabbed one Ramniwas Gaura, a civilian working with a Military Engineering Services (MES) unit. The accused had been contacted using a Facebook profile by someone using pseudonyms Ekta and Jasmeet Kour. They then remained in touch on Whatsapp. "In the recent years, multiple attacks targeting defense agencies using social media have surfaced." The handlers usually send money to the information providers through the ‘hawala’ channel. Several preventive measures have been taken by the agencies concerned,” an official said," says the Hindu.
