Phishing attacks around Aarogya Setu app on the rise, says Cert-In

India’s cyber security agency CERT-In has issued an alert saying phishing attacks in the name of the government’s contact tracing application – Aarogya Setu — are spiking as cyber criminals try to take advantage of the pandemic.

The advisory states that “Aarogya Setu app-focused phishing (attacks) have seen a high rise . Scammers impersonate as HR department, CEO, or any other known person and target users by sending messages such as “your neighbour is affected”, “see who all are affected”, “someone who came in contact with you tested positive”, “recommendations to self-isolate”, and “guidelines to use Aarogya Setu”.

When recipients click on such messages, they are asked to provide some information, usually personal or financial.