Indian flights hoax calls: Central agencies to reach out to VPN providers to trace bomb hoax call origins

Top sources from the Civil Aviation Ministry have revealed that many of the recent bomb hoax calls targeting Indian flights have involved the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to conceal the caller's location. This has created significant challenges for investigators trying to trace the original source of these threats.

The Ministry has urged concerned agencies to approach VPN service providers for assistance. This step could help authorities track down the origin of the threats by gaining access to necessary user information from VPN services. VPNs encrypt and reroute internet traffic, masking the user's identity by making it appear as though they are located in different parts of the world, which complicates the efforts of law enforcement agencies.

Over the past week, more than 20 bomb threats have been made against both domestic and international Indian airline flights, causing widespread disruptions. Authorities have managed to trace some IP addresses linked to the threats to locations in London and Germany, but the use of multiple VPNs has made the exact origin difficult to determine.

Investigative agencies such as the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) have been actively involved in trying to unmask those responsible for the hoax threats. By approaching VPN service providers, authorities hope to bypass the anonymity provided by VPNs and identify the culprits behind these threats.

The Civil Aviation Ministry has highlighted the need for greater cooperation from VPN companies, particularly in cases involving serious threats to public safety. While VPN technology is important for privacy and security, it can also be exploited for illegal activities. The Ministry's move to push for VPN service providers' involvement aims to strike a balance between individual privacy and the need for security in cases involving potential threats to human lives.