11 fake profiles uncovered in hoax bomb threats to airlines as authorities intensify cybercrime investigation
- In Reports
- 01:16 PM, Oct 23, 2024
- Myind Staff
The federal security agencies are on alert since at least 11 fake user profiles on the social networking site X have been reported so far for disseminating bomb hoax warnings about multiple Indian airlines.
However, the investigators noted that the number of profiles from which hoaxes are formed may rise as most of them appear in social media posts, specifically on X. According to the senior officials working on the case, the messages might have been sent by a single individual or by a gang using a very advanced cyber network. According to reports, the investigative teams now include a number of central and state teams, including representatives from the central intelligence gathering units and cybercrime monitoring organisations.
It has been eight days since the first bomb hoax message was received, and the number of such messages keeps increasing daily, causing alarm in the Indian aviation sector. In the meantime, the agencies have made the decision to hold off on issuing diversion or grounding orders until a significant threat has been verified. According to a top IPS official working for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), some airlines are taking no chances and are independently calling for aircraft diversions for the protection of their passengers.
“As threats continue to surface, the balance between caution and operational integrity becomes a critical focus for aviation security teams. It is not a simple case of cybercrime. It has now become very complex as aviation is a critical sector globally. There are several strict norms for the global airspace. We cannot even divulge all critical details at this juncture,” said the top officer involved in the investigation process.
“Expect tighter scrutiny as investigations have ramped up. We are working on some leads,” he added. The senior officer went on to say that the increase in these fake messages has made aviation security more tense as officials struggle to strike a balance between controlling fear and protecting passengers.
According to another senior officer in the aviation ministry, every effort has been made by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the civil aviation ministry, and relevant agencies, such as the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and associated organisations, to guarantee the safety of flights using Indian call signs in the airspace. “We have been trying everything, including involving meta data analysts, taking the assistance of hackers, contacting the VPN (Virtual Private Network) operators.”
“The cyber criminal or the gang or different persons, whoever is involved in this disruption, they have been creating new user id and changing IP addresses. They are using encrypted VPN networks that mask the IP addresses. However, we are trying to track them, and we have received some important leads,” said the officers.
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