Fukrey 3 leaked on YouTube and Telegram just days before its release but there is a twist.
Fukrey 3 ‘leaked’ online just two days before its release. But, hold your horses for there is a catch! Fukrey 3 is set to release on September 28. The film stars Pulkit Samrat, Varun Sharma, Manjot Singh, Pankaj Tripathi, and Richa Chadha in the lead. On Tuesday morning, ‘Fukrey 3 leaked’ was trending on X (previously known as Twitter) with many sharing alleged screenshots from Telegram and YouTube claiming that the film leaked on various platforms, including Torrent. However, the ‘leaked’ video has a twist.
The ‘Fukrey 3 leaked’ movie begins by establishing that the film is set six years after the events of Fukrey 2. The clip features Pulkit Samrat, Pankaj Tripathi, and Varun Sharma engaging in a conversation but not everything seems right. Although Pulkit was delivering the dialogue, it seemed like Pankaj was voicing it. The leak also revealed that everyone’s roles were reversed in the movie.
Soon enough, it was clear that this was a fake Fukrey 3 movie and was aimed at the piracy threats that the industry is facing. It was revealed that Excel Entertainment put its own spin on the piracy issue and decided to leak a fake Fukrey 3 movie online. With this unique approach, the makers manage to take a subtle dig at those who encourage and indulge in piracy.
Fukrey was released in 2013 whereas its sequel titled Fukrey Returns hit theatres five years after the original movie. Both films were widely loved by the audience and were a hit at the box office. While the first Fukrey movie was made on a budget of Rs 19 crore, it had collected Rs 50 crore globally.
The third installment in the beloved comedy franchise is directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba of Fukrey and Fukrey Returns. The film was written by Vipul Vig and produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar for Excel Entertainment.
Fukrey 3 was initially supposed to hit theatres on September 7 which means it would have clashed with Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan. However, earlier this month makers postponed the movie and announced that it will now be released on September 28.
Dishya Sharma
Dishya Sharma, Chief Sub Editor, is part of the entertainment team at News18. She eats, sleeps, and drinks entertainment. While Indian films have fuel…Read More
The Special Task Force of Odisha crime branch on Friday claimed to have arrested one more accused in the one-time password-sharing scam with alleged links to Pakistan Intelligence operatives, it said in a statement.
Earlier, six accused persons were arrested in the same case.
The accused identified as Mohammad Ekbal Hussain was taken under custody from Assam’s Nagaon district on September 19, the agency said in a statment issued on Friday.
The accused was produced before a local court in Nagaon on Friday and was brought to Bhubaneswar after getting 5 days transit remand. He will be produced before the Bhubaneswar court today, as per the STF statement.
Ajaya Narayan Pankaj, Inspector General STF Odisha, said that six accused persons were earlier arrested in this case.
“During the investigation, police discovered that Hussain was in touch with an earlier arrested accused Abhijit Deshmukh. He was also in touch with Khurram alias Abdul Hamid suspected to be a Pakistan Intelligence Officer,” the statement added.
“He has sold many WhatsApp Account OTP, Telegram Account OTP and Mule / Ghost accounts directly to Hamid,” as per the statement.
“After the arrest of the principal accused Pathani Samanta Lenka and his associates, accused Hussain switched off his phone and went underground,” the statement added.
During the investigation, it was found that he used at least 37 IMEI Nos (handset) and over 500 SIMs.
“The accused confessed to his crime and stated that he has been selling OTPs of WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram-activated fake SIMs, Mule / Ghost Accounts etc. for two years and was earning between ₹50,000- 60,000 per month,” it said.
The accused further disclosed the involvement of other people from his hometown, as per his statement. Police said they are verifying his claims.
The modus Ooerandi was to use mobile phones for a month and then destroy them by throwing them into the river to prevent police from tracking them, it added.
High Court directed Meta to deactivate accused social media accounts for selling Jawan’s pirated copies.
New Delhi:
The Delhi High Court has directed WhatsApp and Telegram to deactivate all the groups and channels circulating and selling pirated copies of Shahrukh Khan’s movie Jawan.
The High Court on Tuesday passed the direction on a plea moved by film producer Red Chillies Entertainment against piracy.
Justice C Hari Shankar not only directed to deactivate groups and channels but also directed WhatsApp, Telegram and mobile network operators to disclose the subscriber information of mobile numbers connected with these groups and channels so that legal action can be taken.
The petitioner Red Chillies moved the plea after identifying one Rohit Sharma who was selling pirated copies of the movie through WhatsApp.
While passing the direction, the High Court directed Meta to deactivate his WhatsApp number, his Facebook page as well Instagram pages.
The High Court also said that similar action is to be taken against admins of other WhatsApp groups and Telegram channels after they are identified.
Senior advocate Raj Shekar Rao appeared for the Red Chillies. The plea also said that a police complaint was also filed against Rohit Sharma and others in Mumbai on September 13.
The action of pirates was identified by the agents engaged by the producer of the movie Jawan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
WhatsApp is reportedly getting a new feature, but it is not what it wanted to build. In fact, WhatsApp was quite against it. Interoperability, or cross-platform interaction has been one of the major talking points for the European Union’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA) which is pushing to quash ecosystem lock-in and anti-competitive behavior. Earlier this month, the EU confirmed that Meta’s instant messaging platform falls under the category of ‘gatekeeper’ and must comply with the obligations of the new guidelines. Soon after, a new report highlighted that WhatsApp has begun working on a cross-platform messaging feature called ‘third-party chats’. This will enable users to text anyone on any other messaging app directly.
According to a report by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program which will bring the version up to 2.23.19.8. And this new update showcases a new screen with a header that says ‘Third-party chats’. As per the report, this update is focused on WhatsApp complying with the EU regulations by “developing support for chat interoperability”. Also read: WhatsApp to introduce toggle to disable Instant Video Messages
WhatsApp testing cross-platform messaging
Cross-platform interaction is emerging as a discussion point for governments and nonprofit organizations as major tech companies with multiple applications focus on creating an ecosystem experience and locking in their users within that ecosystem. This makes it difficult for the user to interact with those who are not part of the ecosystem and download separate apps for each platform. EU defines such a condition as anti-competitive and has added an emphasis for companies to not participate in such behavior.
With the new feature, WhatsApp users can text a user who exclusively uses Telegram, Signal, or any other platform. This means users do not have to be restricted to the user base of a single platform and feel forced to download multiple chat apps.
Google Chat is one of the platforms that is also testing cross-platform messaging features. But unlike WhatsApp, its interoperability is limited to other communication platforms for businesses like Microsoft Teams and Slack considering its use case.
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A recent report published by cybersecurity firm ESET has exposed a surveillance operation conducted by the China-affiliated advanced persistent threat (APT) hacking group known as GREF.
This hacking group had previously employed an Android malware tool named BadBazaar for spying on Uyghur populations, and it is now disseminating similar malware to individuals across multiple countries. This covert spyware campaign impersonates the popular messaging platforms Telegram and Signal in order to extract sensitive user data.
ESET discovered that malicious Android apps “Signal Plus Messenger and FlyGram” present on Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store, were designed to infect the devices. These applications also had dedicated websites, impersonating the Signal application ( signalplus [.]org.) and Telegram alternative application ( flygram [.] org.)
The purpose of the spy app FlyGram and Signal Plus Messenger is to extract sensitive data of users, such as contacts list, call logs, list of Google accounts, device location and Wi-Fi information.
FlyGram has the capability to retrieve essential metadata from Telegram applications and gain access to a user’s complete Telegram backup, including contacts, profile pictures, groups, channels, and various other details, provided the user activates a Cloud Sync feature within the malicious application. Data related to the utilization of this specific backup feature indicates that a minimum of 13,953 individuals who downloaded FlyGram had it enabled, said ESET.
The main function of the Signal Plus Messenger is to spy on user’s Signal messages. The malware extracts the user’s Signal PIN and utilizes it to establish connections between Signal Desktop and Signal iPad with the attacker’s mobile devices.
The video presented by the researcher demonstrates the threat actor’s ability to establish a connection between the compromised device and the attacker’s Signal account seamlessly, all without requiring any action from the user. Additionally, it provides instructions on how users can verify if their Signal account has been linked to another device.
FlyGram, uploaded to Google Play in June 2020, garnered over 5,000 installations before removal in January 2021.Signal Plus Messenger, uploaded on July 7th, 2022, received over a hundred installations before being taken down in May 2023.In addition to these distribution channels, it is noteworthy that potential victims may have been deceived into installing the applications through participation in a Uyghur Telegram group dedicated to Android app sharing. This group boasts a membership of over 1,300 individuals.
According to the report victims have primarily surfaced in Germany, Poland, and the United States, with additional cases identified in Ukraine, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Congo-Kinshasa, Hong Kong, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, and Yemen.
Chinese Surveillance Operation
Cybersecurity firm “Lookout” has identified BadBazaar as a surveillance tool employed by the Chinese government in surveillance campaigns targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities, both within China and beyond its borders.
According to ESET, there are significant code similarities between the Signal Plus Messenger and FlyGram samples and the BadBazaar malware family, attributed by “Lookout” to the GREF cluster of APT15. There is also overlap in the targeting, with the malicious FlyGram app using a Uyghur Telegram group as one of its distribution mechanisms. This aligns with the targeting of other Android malware previously employed by GREF.
ESET warned of this to both Google and Samsung, which resulted in the removal of both apps from Google platforms. However, there has been no action reported by Samsung.
Edited By:
Aishwarya Dakhore
Published On:
Sep 1, 2023
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The Iraqi government on Sunday ended a week-long suspension of the Telegram messaging app over “national security” concerns after the move drew criticism from pro-Iran factions.
On Sunday morning the app was again accessible without the need for a virtual private network (VPN), AFP journalists in Baghdad said.
Iraq’s ministry of communications had on Saturday evening announced “the lifting of the freeze on Telegram from tomorrow, Sunday”.
Telegram is very popular in Iraq, and is particularly used as a propaganda platform for groups associated with armed factions and pro-Iran political parties.
A coalition of Iran-linked Shiite Muslim parties dominates Iraq’s parliament, and backs Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
When it suspended the app, the government said Telegram “did not respond” to repeated requests to address the issue of “data leakage from state institutions and individuals, which poses a threat to national security and social peace.”
In its new statement, the ministry said managers of the app had responded to “demands of authorities by detecting the people who divulged the data of citizens and by expressing their full availability to communicate with relevant authorities.”
Responding to criticisms on one Iraqi Telegram channel that the suspension was a restriction of free speech, the ministry said it “is not opposed to freedom of expression”.
However, it invited managers of apps “to respect the law, the security and the data of users”.
After decades of conflict, Iraq has achieved relative stability but rights groups regularly criticise authorities over the level of free expression.
The country ranks 167 out of 180 on the Reporters Without Borders 2023 Press Freedom Index.
Telegram has previously been blocked in some other countries.
ODESA: Several beaches in Ukraine’s Black Sea city of Odesa have officially opened for swimming for the first time since the start of the Russian invasion, although bathing is banned during air raid alerts, local officials said on Saturday.
Odesa, Ukraine’s largest port and naval base, was repeatedly attacked with missiles and drones and the sea was littered with hundreds of sea mines following the invasion in February last year. For the safety of residents and after incidents of mines exploding on beaches, the coast was closed.
The decision to open the beaches was made jointly by the city’s civilian and military administrations, Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram messaging app. He said the beaches would be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oleksandr, a lifeguard and a former diver who gave only his first name, said that an anti-mine net was placed in between two piers to prevent swimmers encountering shallow-water mines. “The net will stop them. And they (mines) will also be visible from the shore under such weather conditions. Emergency workers will be notified, they will come to handle it,” he said. The opening of the beaches has been a welcome respite from the war for people swimming and sunbathing. “I have been dreaming of going to the beach and inhaling salty air. We have been missing it a lot. But safety is a top priority,” said Svitlana, a resident of the Odesa region.
Instagram currently boasts over 2.35 billion monthly active users across the globe, with around 229 million in India itself. Owing to the considerable volume of users, it doesn’t come as a shock that the photo-sharing platform has come under the crosshairs of malicious actors, trying to dupe unsuspecting users out of their money via phishing scams. ABP Live has come across several recent cases where users are reporting their accounts getting cloned, and hackers reaching out to their contacts with mal intentions. Read on to find out more details.
How To Spot Fake Accounts On Instagram?
In multiple cases, hackers were found to clone the accounts of unsuspecting users in such a way that it’s very hard to differentiate which one’s original and which one’s not. This is because the fake account carries the same profile photo, the same bio, and the same number of followers (as well as the accounts you are following).
However, there are two major differences between a fake account and a legit profile.
For starters, the fake profile will not have a single post on their account. This can be checked by quickly visiting the profile page and checking out the numbers at the top.
Secondly, the username/handle of the fake profile will be slightly tweaked. For example, if the user handle of the original account is abc_123 or abc.123the fake account will carry a handle that looks like abc_123_, @bc.123or aabc_123 (note the nearly unnoticeable difference in certain characters).
How Do These Fake Accounts Reach Out?
After cloning an account, bad actors reach out to the friends and followers of the original user. On DM, they share this text: “Hi. I’m a contesting [sic] for an ambassadorship spot as an online influencer can you please vote for me.” This is the text ABP Live could spot in most cases, however, the message can be tweaked around as well, with more or less a similar tone in the end.
Now, if you do respond to this first text, you will soon see a response that goes something like, “Ok. I will send you the voting email now.” This will be followed by a mailing ID — Contesting131@gmail.com, based on the messages shared with ABP Live — and a clickable URL (screenshot below).
These URLs are largely believed to be acts of phishing, where unsuspecting users are enticed to click on a malicious link.
To understand the implications of these links, ABP Live spoke to Supreme Court advocate and cyber law expert Pavan Duggal, who said that in most cases, these links open up access to keyloggers, or keystroke loggers, which are designed to record what a user types on the on-screen keyboard on their devices. So, once that form is clicked on, bad actors will gain under-the-radar access to how you are using your phone, making it easier for them to copy your passwords and other key details.
What To Do If You Come Across A Fake Account?
As per Duggal, if you do come across an account posing as someone you know, the best advice would be to steer clear of it. “Don’t click on the links,” Duggal said. “Also, it would be best to reach out to the person whose account you think got hacked and clarify with them straight away.”
As mentioned earlier, it is highly advisable not to interact with such accounts or click on any links they share, no matter how enticing it may feel at the moment. It’s best to block and report the account right away.
Interestingly, when we blocked such a fake account on Instagram, it was immediately replaced by yet another cloned account, featuring a different profile photo, bio, and other details of another known contact (again, marked by zero posts and a tweaked user handle). Hence, constant vigilance seems to be the best bet against malicious activities.
Why Are Malicious Actors Targeting Instagram?
As per Duggal, sharing phishing links to unsuspecting users began during the covid-induced lockdown months, when cases of online scams grew by leaps and bounds. “At first, they mostly targeted Telegram, the instant messaging app, and over time moved to Instagram, simply because there are more young users here and is a visual-rich platform, giving hackers a better chance to dupe users.”
ABP Live reached out to the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) to understand the volume of such cases of cloned accounts being reported by users. This report will be updated when we hear back. To put things into perspective, in Q1 2023, Instagram owner Meta (who also owns Facebook) took action against 426 million fake accounts.
It should be noted that as of yet, there are no foolproof ways to protect your account from being cloned. Even if you keep an account private, your profile photo, bio, and other details are still visible no matter what. So, it’s best to maintain caution as and when needed.
Iraq’s telecoms ministry said it has blocked the Telegram messaging app over national security concerns and in order to preserve the integrity of users’ personal data, which it said the app had mishandled.
A man is seen as a silhouette as he checks a mobile device whilst standing against an illuminated wall bearing Telegram’s logo in this arranged photograph.(Bloomberg)
The app is widely used in Iraq for messaging but also as a source of news and for sharing content.
Some channels contain large amounts of personal data including the names, addresses, and family ties of Iraqis.
The ministry said in a statement it had asked the app to close down “platforms that leak the data of the official state institutions and the personal data of citizens… but the company did not respond and did not interact with any of these requests.”
“The Ministry of Communications affirms its respect for citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and communication, without prejudice to the security of the state and its institutions,” the statement said.
Telegram did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday said it had downed six drones in the Kaluga region, less than 200 kilometres from Moscow, amid a surge in such attacks targeting the capital city.
The defence ministry said it had foiled “a terrorist attack with drones” in Kaluga. “This night, six drones trying to cross the Kaluga region, were shot down with anti-air defence systems,” said regional governor Vyacheslav Shapsha said on Telegram.
There were no casualties, he said. Russia on Tuesday said it had foiled drone attacks in Moscow but one of them hit a building in the city, which witnessed a similar strike last weekend.
KYIV: Russia attacked Ukraine’s main inland port across the Danube River from Romania on Wednesday, sending global food prices higher as it ramps up its use of force to prevent Ukraine from exporting grain. The attacks destroyed buildings in the port of Izmail and halted ships in their tracks as they prepared to arrive there to load up with Ukrainian grain in defiance of a de-facto blockade Russia reimposed in mid-July.
Ukrainian deputy prime minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the Russian drone attacks damaged almost 40,000 tonnes of grains which had been destined for countries in Africa as well as China and Israel. “Russian terrorists have once again attacked ports, grain, global food security,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram. Russian state news agency RIA said the port and grain infrastructure hit at the port was housing foreign mercenaries and military hardware and a naval ship repair yard had also been targeted. Reuters was not able to verify the report. Video released by the Ukrainian authorities showed firefighters on ladders battling a blaze several storeys high in a building covered with broken windows. Several other large buildings were in ruins, and grain spilled out of at least two wrecked silos. There were no reports of casualties, Odesa region governor Oleh Kiper wrote in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Commercial ship tracking data showed dozens of international ships halting and dropping anchor at the mouth of the Danube, many of them registered to arrive in Izmail from the Black Sea in an apparent bid to open a breach in Russia’s blockade. The port, across the river from Nato-member Romania, is the main alternative route out of Ukraine for grain exports, since Russia’s blockade halted traffic at Ukraine’s Black Sea ports in mid-July. Chicago wheat prices rose by nearly 5% following the attack and were still up 1.8% at over $6.63 a bushel as of 1325 GMT on concern about a hit to global supplies. Ukraine is one of the world’s top grain exporters.
KYIV: Fierce fighting raged Thursday in southeastern Ukraine, where a Western official said Kyiv has launched a major push and Russian President Vladimir Putin said “hostilities have intensified significantly.”
Battles in recent weeks have taken place on multiple points along the over 1,000-kilometer (over 600-mile) front line as Ukraine wages a counteroffensive with Western-supplied weapons and Western-trained troops against Russian forces who invaded 17 months ago. Putin praised the “heroism” with which Russian soldiers were repelling attacks in the Zaporizhzhia region of the southeast, claiming Moscow’s troops not only destroyed Ukraine’s military equipment but also inflicted heavy losses to Kyiv’s forces.
He insisted on state TV Ukraine’s push in the area “wasn’t successful,” although it was not possible to independently verify his report. Putin was in St. Petersburg at a summit of African leaders. Ukrainian troops have made only incremental gains since launching a counteroffensive in early June, and Putin has repeatedly claimed Ukraine has suffered heavy losses, without offering evidence. Ukraine has committed thousands of troops in the region in recent days, according to a Western official who was not authorized to comment publicly on the matter. It was unclear how the current effort differs from previous ones by the Ukrainian military to break through deeply entrenched Russian defenses. The Russian army has set up vast minefields to stymie Ukrainian advances and used combat aircraft and loitering munitions to strike Ukrainian armor and artillery. Ukrainian authorities have kept operational details of the counteroffensive under wraps, and they have released scant information about its progress. However, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Wednesday that troops are advancing toward the city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhizhia region. The seizure of Melitopol near the Sea of Azov would be a major success for Ukraine, which hopes to punch through the land corridor between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. That could split Russian forces into two and cut supply lines to units farther west. Russia currently controls the whole Sea of Azov coast. Russian military bloggers say that the latest Ukrainian push has focused on the village of Staromaiorske near an area separating Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia provinces. If the Russian defenses there collapse, it would open the way for the Ukrainian forces to push southward toward the coast. The apparent Ukrainian push comes in the wake of Russian military and political turmoil in June that saw Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner private military company, stage a short-lived rebellion that posed the gravest threat to Putin in his 23-year rule. The mercenaries have withdrawn from the battlefield in Ukraine, where they played a pivotal role in capturing the stronghold of Bakhmut following the war’s longest battle. Thousands of Wagner troops have reportedly moved to Belarus to help train its troops before moving to Africa. The Institute of Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, reported that Ukrainian forces launched “a significant mechanized counteroffensive operation” in western Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday and “appear to have broken through certain pre-prepared Russian defensive positions.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, visited the city of Dnipro, along the Dnieper River to the north of Zaporizhzhia, meeting with military commanders to discuss air defenses, ammunition supplies and regional recruitment. He also visited a medical facility caring for the wounded from the front, thanking the staff and emphasizing the importance of their work in saving the lives. A recent increase in wounded at a Dnipro hospital hinted that the tempo of fighting had increased. In what appeared to be a precautionary move, Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, prohibited civilian access to the Arabat Spit in Crimea, a narrow strip of land that links the peninsula to the partially occupied Kherson region. The open-ended ban is needed to contain security threats, the FSB said in a statement quoted by Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti. U.S. officials, who have provided Kyiv with weapons and intelligence, declined to comment publicly on the latest developments, though they have previously urged patience as Ukraine seeks to grind down Russian positions. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a visit to Papua New Guinea that Kyiv’s effort to retake land seized by Russia since its full-scale invasion in February 2022 would be tough and long, with successes and setbacks. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said “an intense battle” is taking place but declined to provide details. “We believe that tools, the equipment, the training, the advice that many of us have shared with Ukrainians over many months puts them in good position to be successful on the ground in recovering more of the territory that Russia has taken from Ukraine,” Blinken said in New Zealand. Meanwhile, a missile strike on Ukraine’s southern Odesa region killed one civilian and further damaged its port infrastructure in the latest attack since Moscow broke off a grain export agreement, Odesa Gov. Oleh Kiper said. The attack used Kalibr cruise missiles launched from the Black Sea, he said. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 36 Russian missiles launched from Tu-95MS strategic bombers.