Cybersecurity professionals have recommended that Indian users be careful and not to click on videos referring to precise times like “7:11” or “6:39,” as these are seen as strong signs of a scam.
7-Minute 11 Seconds Viral Video: The Indian social media platforms at this moment are overflowing with inquiries about the alleged “leaked” videos of the influencers from Pakistan. The keywords like “Marry Umair 7 minutes 11 seconds” and “Fatima Jatoi 6 minutes 39 seconds” are quickly climbing the popularity chart on X, Telegram, and WhatsApp. But the cybersecurity specialists are warning of a trend that is not by any means fun gossip or mere curiosity to watch. They go on to say that it instead seems to be a very well-planned digital honey-trap campaign, the main objective of which is to get the Indian internet users to click on the malicious links made for compromising the devices and stealing personal data.
Viral video leaks or honey traps?
Even though these happenings seem to be nothing more than harmless internet rumours, they are gradually being pointed out as possible digital traps. There is concern being raised that these viral search hooks are part of a coordinated campaign of “engagement bait” which is claimed to come from Pakistan and directed at Indian users with the aim of making them click on harmful links which would, in turn, lead to their devices being compromised and their data being exposed.
How are people getting digitally trapped?
This fraud employs an exact psychological manipulation. Rather than the common “leaked video” title, these trends show exact timestamps, for example, 7:11 or 6:39. The fraudsters are trapping users in two ways:
Trust establishing: Giving the exact timings creates the perception for the user that a truthful, uncut video is present.
Giving an enticing title: When the users look for this specific term, they are taken to untrustworthy sites or ‘Link-in-Bio’ pages instead of the video.
What is the Modus Operandi?
This approach of captivating Indian users via Pakistani social media accounts is not a novel one. This time, it is being attempted on a large scale.
Friendship and greed: Fake profiles are often used to befriend Indian users, and then they are promised connections to these ‘exclusive’ videos in private chats.
Malware attack: Accessing these links can lead to the installation of spyware such as a “Remote Access Trojan” (RAT) on your mobile, which would allow the hacker to track your whereabouts and even get access to your phone contacts and pictures.
How to safeguard yourself from honey traps?
Cybersecurity professionals have recommended that Indian users be careful and not to click on videos referring to precise times like “7:11” or “6:39,” as these are seen as strong signs of a scam. They further advise not to enter such words/phrases in search engines, as this increases the scammer’s visibility through search engine optimisation. In addition to this, users are cautioned against opening or clicking links sent by strangers or in unwanted conversations, since such links might be pointing to harmful websites that are set up to steal both devices and personal data.
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