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UK report questions experts who blamed hackers in India for targeting Qatar World Cup critics

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A recent investigation revealed that a group of cybercriminals is targeting critics of Qatar Globalism The trophy has featured dozens of lawyers, journalists and celebrities since 2019.

The news that British journalists later revealed Sunday times The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has looked at a leaked database that may not seem shocking as similar incidents were reported during the Russia World Cup in 2018.

But what makes it unique is the fact that the hackers are, according to reports, based in India.

The British newspaper and the bureau said in a statement that the hack was “commissioned by a specific client”.

As the statement highlighted: “This investigation strongly indicates that this customer is the host of the World Cup: Qatar.” However, the Qatari authorities described the allegations as “manifestly false and baseless”.

anyway India It is not known that such cyber gangs exist, according to the British newspaper, a 31-year-old employee of an accounting firm based in a suburb of Gurugram is accused of being the mastermind of the hacking operations.

He also stated that his network of hackers used “phishing” methods to gain access to their targets’ email accounts and sometimes used malware to control their computers’ cameras, as well as microphones.

According to the report, the gang targeted more than 100 private email accounts of the victims “on behalf of investigators working in authoritarian countries, British lawyers and their wealthy clients”.

The list of victims of this incident includes the London-based consultant Ghanem Nusseibeh, whose company Cornerstone issued a report on World Cup corruption, according to the British newspaper, The Guardian. Sunday times.

In addition, the Swiss president and vice president were also hacked.

“Accuracy” question

It was reported earlier that during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia prevented nearly 25 million cyber attacks and other criminal acts.

Even, according to a survey by Lastline at Infosecurity Europe 2018, 72% of security professionals believe an attack was a possibility during the World Cup, given that cybercriminals are increasingly targeting high-profile international events.

Therefore, with the World Cup in Qatar kicking off on November 20, security experts are anticipating such cyber issues.

But a cybersecurity specialist asked a question about the accuracy Sunday times‘ Report.

“The current investigative article lacks credibility and is based solely on one-out speculation,” said Sandeep Kumar Panda, a cybersecurity veteran and co-founder of Instasafe Technologies.

“No attempt is made to conduct a thorough investigation, no best practice procedure is followed here to find the root cause of the hacking incident, and there is no trace or trace,” he said.

“Cyber ​​security professionals or third-party agencies should investigate to get a clear picture and proof of the incident,” he added.

Quoting the report, he said hackers used phishing techniques to steal information.

Panda said that the phishing technique is commonly used by hackers and does not require many complex tools and techniques to implement it.

“This means that any hacking group can use these hacking methods by any country,” he stated while responding to whether an Indian group could carry out such attacks.

He also said that phishing sites are just like the original website, where hackers usually send links to the site via email or SMS and someone fills in their details on these fake sites.

“In this case, this information is passed on to the hacker who uses it to commit fraud, identity theft and other cybercrime,” he added.

However, the expert suggested that to avoid falling into a trap or hacking, it is always advised not to click on any suspicious links received through unknown sources, to check the domain name of the website URL, and not to provide sensitive information in case of doubt.

The expert noted that “only awareness and awareness of cybersecurity can help you stay safe.”

While the accuracy of the report remains in question, a Qatari official reportedly dismissed the allegations.

The person described the TBIJ report as “full of blatant contradictions and lies that undermine the credibility of their organization.”

Reportedly, the official also said: “The report relies on a single source who claims that his ultimate client is Qatar, although there is no evidence to prove this.”

The source added, “The TBIJ’s decision to publish the report without a single credible evidence linking their allegations to Qatar raises serious concerns about their motives, which appear to be motivated by political, rather than public interest, reasons.”

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