PUNE: The principal controller of defence accounts (officers) PCDA(O), which deals with salaries and allowances of all serving officers of the Indian Army , including the Army Chief, has warned its officers of a phishing scam, allegedly being carried out by foreign hackers.Many serving Indian Army officers have been receiving e-mails, purportedly from the PCDA (O), asking them to follow a link and update their details as a part of database maintenance.The body put up a special advisory on its official website, advising officers not to respond to, or click on the given URL. The advisory clarifies that no such e-mail was sent by them."The link https:pcda(o) pune.gov.in forwarded with the message diverts the user to a malicious page with a fake domain name. This is a phishing attempt. No such message has been forwarded by PCDA (O) Pune," the advisory said.Confirming the development, G D Pungle, Principal Control of Defence Accounts, told TOI , "Whenever required, we do issue advisories to officers for security purposes. We endeavour to secure data." Senior Army officers said hackers from Pakistan and other countries have, in the past, resorted to various tactics to gain sensitive information about army officers. A senior officer told TOI, "One tactic is to hack the PCDA(O) website, and gain access to the database.In doing this, the hackers would not come to know not only about a particular officer's salary and allowances, but also where these officers are currently posted. This will help them to understand troop formations and deployments in those particular areas."Lt Gen D B Shekatkar, who heads the government-appointed committee for enhancement of the army's combat capabilities, said, "It is a part of cyber warfare. Pakistani hackers are involved in such activities. Besides, there have been instances where fraudsters managed to siphon off officers' money. As a result, it is imperative to secure data of such an important office."

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