India Under Digital Siege: Hackers Launch Major Cyberattacks

India is now waging the war on two fronts: one on the ground, boots up and the other with bytes in cyberspace by trained Hacker Groups. 

Dance of the Hillary: What It Is

There exists a malware campaign labelled “Dance of the Hillary”. It spreads through evil links and files which are disguised as videos or documents. It is a virus that is a Remote Access Trojan (RAT). It enables hackers to take over infected devices. Victims can be spied on, their files can be stolen, and their data exploited.

Who’s Being Targeted?

• Indian Military Engineering Services (MES)
• Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA)
• Armoured Vehicle Nigam Limited (AVNL)
• Republic News Team Data
• Banks and Financial Institutions
• Every day, social media users

AVNL Website Defaced

• Hackers vandalized the AVNL website 
• The site has been shut down.
• A thorough audit is underway.

Cyber Front Opens: Sensitive Data Breached

• The hacker group Cyber Force claimed through X (Twitter).
• They allegedly violated sensitive data from:
• Indian Military Engineering Services (MES)
• Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA)
• Exposed data can include personal information and login credentials of the defense staff.

Government Sites Targeted

• The official website of Armoured Vehicle Nigam Ltd. was hacked.
• The Website was taken down as a precaution.
• A complete cyber audit is underway.

CERT-In Raises Alarm

• The Indian government has issued a national-level cyber alert.
• CERT-In (Computer Emergency Response Team – India) has brought out a thorough cybersecurity advisory.
• Focus: Other than banks, financial institutions, and critical infrastructures.
• CERT- In warns of huge cyber-attacks from cyber hacksers

Banks on High Alert

• Banks and financial institutions must:
• Improve monitoring systems.
• Strengthen internal alert mechanisms.
• Stay updated with NASSCOM & industry networks for threat sharing.

Mobile Phone Cyber Threats in Social Media

• Attackers are using platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram.
• You might be sent fake files or videos that seem harmless.
• Malware operations entitled “Dance of the Hillary” are masquerading as comical or viral media coverage.
• One click may infect your phone or PC.

What Happens If Infected?

• Hackers can access your camera, microphone, and files.
• They can spy on, steal data fro,m or even deploy a bigger attack.
• Devices that are infected can be used to attack other systems.

CERT-In’s Advisory: What You MUST Do

1. Do not click on unknown links or download unidentified files.
2. Update antivirus and firewall protections.
3. Enable two factor authentication on all accounts.
4. Regularly backup your data offline.
5. Monitor irregular activity and make a report in [email protected].
6. Organizations should associate themselves with NASSCOM and other industry security groups.

Intelligence Agencies Speak

• Spikes in phishing emails
• Malware-laden attachments targeting key officials
• Coordinated cyberattacks from different based IPs
• The private and government sectors are called to be more careful.

Cyber Safety Recap

• Keep software updated
• Use strong, unique passwords
• Don’t click on the links from unknown numbers.
• Scan files before opening
• Don’t follow viral or trends of “viral” videos
• Do not trust even if it looks friendly.

Stay Cyber Safe: What You MUST Do

• Do not click on suspicious links, or download weird files from unknown sources as possible.
• Be careful about video files named “Dance of the Hillary”.
• Keep antivirus and firewalls updated
• Activate two-factor authentication for all accounts.
• Report anything suspicious to [email protected]
• Government and Institutions must have a tie-up with NASSCOM in the real-time sharing of threats.

Final Warning

India’s digital barriers are under test.

The “Dance of the Hillary” campaign is not malware but a message.

A message that our data, our infrastructure, and our national integrity are being targeted.

This is not the time to be packing pop-ups or ignoring shady links.

This is the time to protect all screens, all devices, and all bytes.

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