Indian government websites hacked to promote online gambling

Around 50 sites were hijacked to display ads for online gambling. 

India.- The tech news site TechCrunch has reported that nearly 50 government websites including sites belonging to the state governments of Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Mizoram, and Telangana had been hacked to display ads for online gambling. Sites affected included those belonging to state police and property tax departments. 

TechCrunch alerted India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). It’s unclear how the ads were placed on government pages, how long they were there or whether the issue has been fixed. This isn’t the first such report. In February, it was reported that over 300 Indian government websites had been hacked to display ads promoting online gaming and cricket betting.

See also: India: 8 arrested for alleged cricket betting

India issues warning on online gambling promotion

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has warned social media influencers and online advertisers against promoting offshore online gambling and betting platforms. It has warned online advertising intermediaries not to target Indian audiences with gambling-related promotional content and called on social media intermediaries to discourage users from publishing such content.

Non-compliance with the advisory may result in actions under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, including removal of social media posts or accounts and fines.