Indian government websites have been compromised by online betting ads
What's the story
A scam involving online betting advertisements embedded on several Indian government websites has been reported. These ads are capable of redirecting the visitors to online betting platforms. As noted by TechCrunch, approximately 48 "gov.in" website links associated with Indian states such as Bihar, Goa, Mizoram, Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana have been compromised. Some of these affected websites, belong to state police and property tax departments.
Ad content
Ads promote betting on IPL
The fraudulent ads were indexed by search engines, including Google, making them easily accessible online. These redirecting websites were promoted as "Asia's most popular" online betting platform and "the number one online cricket betting app in India." They offered betting on games including cricket tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL). The method used by scammers to plant these ads and the duration for which these links have been active remain unclear.
Alert action
India's cybersecurity agency has been alerted
The scams were discovered earlier this week by TechCrunch. India's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has been alerted, and provided examples of the affected state government website links. CERT-In confirmed receipt of the email and stated that it had escalated the matter. In an email response, the agency said, "We have taken up with the concerned authority for appropriate action." It remains uncertain whether the flaw permitting backdoor access to state government websites has been fixed.