Fraudulent links aim to steal sensitive government documents by harvesting officials’ log-in credentials
Indian cybersecurity agencies have uncovered a phishing fraud that mimics the official Ministry of Defence website, aiming to steal sensitive government documents by harvesting the log-in credentials of officials.
In an advisory issued this week, the National Informatics Centre (NIC) identified two phishing URLs:mod.gov.in.aboutcase.nl/publications.htmlandmod.gov.in.army.aboutcase.nl/publications.html. The advisory, accessed by PTI, revealed that these URLs, sent via fake emails, trick users into entering their NIC log-in credentials by posing as a legitimate Ministry of Defence website.
The email attachment, titled “Hackers Targeted Defence Personnel in Mass Cyber Attack,” directs users to a fake login page. After entering credentials, users are redirected to a “login-error.html” page.
The phishing campaign is targeting NIC credentials of government officials, attempting to steal classified documents related to the Indian government. The advisory urges government staff to delete such emails and, if the links are clicked, to disable their internet connection, change passwords, and update their operating system.
Officials are also advised to remain vigilant about suspicious emails, avoiding links from untrusted sources, and being cautious of shortened URLs often used in phishing attempts.
This alert follows a similar phishing attempt mimicking the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in June-July.