Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Wednesday issued a cyber security alert and told people to download the Aarogya Setu application only from the Google Play Store and Apple App store.
The Aarogya Setu app is the government’s mobile application for contact tracing and disseminating medical advisories to users in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The police said some people are receiving SMS or WhatsApp messages containing a link to download the Aarogya Setu App. “Please do not click on the link to download Aarogya Setu App,” the police said on its twitter handle.
It suggested people to delete any such link and if already downloaded go for factory resetting of their mobile phone.
“These links are malicious and leading to download of an App called ChatMe on the screen, which is being used by Pakistan-based groups to take away data,” the Commissionerate of Police said.
It also said: “please download AarogyaSetu from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.”
Commissioner of Police Sudhansu Sarangi said the police issued cybersecurity alert based on the inputs from intelligence agencies.
Rejecting charges by the opposition that the Aarogya Setu application breaches privacy, Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has asserted that the platform is ‘absolutely robust, safe and secure’ in terms of privacy protection and data security.
“This is a technological invention of India –Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, our scientists, NIC, Niti Aayog and some private (entities) — whereby it is a perfectly accountable platform to help in the fight against COVID-19,” Prasad told PTI.
(PTI)