Dream11 App Hacked: Security Breach and Ransom Threat
Many fantasy league apps offer opportunities to win prizes by choosing teams for cricket and other sports, but concerns about user data security have arisen. Recently, there was a threat of hacking the Dream11 app. The situation prompted police involvement, and the cyber department took swift action by contacting Sports Technology Pvt. Ltd., the parent company of Dream11. Security Director Abhishek Pratap Singh has been detained on charges of hacking Dream11’s sensitive data to demand ransom.
According to The Free Press Journal, Singh threatened five senior Dream11 officials via email on August 11, including Harsh Jain, the CEO of the company. The email stated, “We have access to 1200 important files of Dream11. If you want to prevent these files from being uploaded to the dark web, you can make an offer.” The police reported that 61 files containing sensitive data were attached to the email. Had this data been leaked, it could have caused a complete collapse of the Dream11 app’s system.
In response to the initial email, Dream11’s Vice President of Information and Technology replied, “Whenever you have time, we will discuss it.” On August 12, Singh responded, “Many people are ready to buy this data in the market. Let me know what you have to offer.”
Following this second email, Dream11 employee Jamshadi Bhupati filed a complaint with the Maharashtra Cyber Department, reporting an attempt to hack their data and demand ransom. The police promptly launched an investigation, traced the accused, and arrested Singh from his residence in Bangalore, Karnataka. During the investigation, the email used for the threat was recovered, and Singh’s laptop and mobile device were seized. After appearing in court, Singh was remanded in police custody until August 26. The police are now investigating how Singh obtained the company’s sensitive data. He has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.
