A new type of cyberattack has surfaced and this time school students are being targetted. As per a press release from the Indian Army, students across the nation have been receiving calls and WhatsApp messages from Pakistani Intelligence Operatives (PIO) since yesterday. Apparently, the numbers from which these calls have been made so far are 8617321715 and 9622262167. The callers are posing as school teachers and asking the children for information such as One Time Passwords (OTPs) in order to let them join WhatsApp groups. These suspected callers are calling and sending messages by first giving a reference of someone that the children are familiar with.
The press release further said that children are then being asked to join other groups (allegedly new class groups) and in order to do so they have to share the OTPs with the callers. The students are also being asked about other details such as their father's job, their school routines and their timing. In order to make this even more believable, the callers are also asking them questions about their uniforms and their teachers' names.
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Authorities have asked schools and colleges to sensitize both groups viz. teachers as well as students and if required then they have also been asked to dissolve/delete all existing groups and make new ones in place of them.
The list of numbers from which these messages or calls are coming as of now is not exhaustive. The callers can also bring new numbers into use and continue their operations. The modus operandi can also be changed in this matter hence being aware and alert is a must in order to protect yourself and your loved ones from this new kind of cyberattack.