You’ve been hacked
Are you safe? Is anyone safe from cyber hackers? No, says Dr Harold D’Costa
IT SHOULD BE DIFFICULT TO SHOCK a group of seasoned Rotarians. After all, with years of community service in their pocket, Rotarians have first-hand exposure to all the horrors faced by those they aid. Yet, Dr Harold D’Costa,
President of Cyber Security Corporation, managed to stop the cutlery from tinkling at the Ballroom of The Taj Mahal
Hotel last Tuesday and he even evoked some audible gasps and nervous titters.
He hacked into the phones of three, willing Rotarian volunteers demonstrating the ease with which messages could appear to be sent from them without them actually doing so. The content of the messages spoofed by him was innocent. However, the simplicity, ease and mere seconds in which he made his point magnified the enormity of the threat of security lapse that each of us is vulnerable to.
We live in a digital economy — the long hands of the internet, and not of justice — are everywhere. Every day, a few of the remaining hold-outs from another generation succumb to the temptation to stay relevant and log on to the world wide web. In this scenario, it’s just a matter of time before D’Costa’s warnings about the future become
yesterday’s news.
Millions of Indians are vulnerable to having their personal data released in a way that could be harmful for them. WhatsApp’s messenger encryption service is ineffectual in combating the ingenuity cyber hackers apply to their task. What’s scarier is that Whatsapp messages are admissible as evidence in courts of law as per the discretion of the ruling judge.
D’Costa, CEO at Intelligent Quotient Security System and an advisor to law enforcement agencies, asked if any of us considered that passing out a hundred of our visiting cards at the next networking do might open us up to hacktivism? Most hackers, once they get into a system, can remain there undetected for up to seven months. Just by having your contact number, a person can get into your account, cancel your appointments, send a threat to a third person, change the text of your messages and also access your bank accounts. A serious investment in cyber security is imperative.
In terms of internet usage, India is the second largest country after China. Crores of people use internet and social media on a daily basis. Statistics shown by D’Costa say that only 25 per cent corporates are prepared for cyber threats while 69 per cent are partially prepared. The rest are very poorly prepared for different types of cyber threats: data breach, Ransomware, Falsification of Documents, Malwares and Hacktivism to name a few.
D’Costa aims to sensitise and create awareness among the public as well as police force about cyber threats and the need for cyber security. In conclusion, he says that rather than presuming and panicking, investigate and take help of the law enforcement agencies.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF
AVOID uploading photos as DPs in social networking apps. Photos can be morphed and misused. 72 per cent women become victims of morphed photos in India.
AVOID sharing confidential and personal information on social networking apps.
AVOID status messages on DPs related to your true identity.
AVOID tagging unknown persons on social networking sites.
AVOID mobile banking apps to do online transactions; instead, use banking apps from your laptops / desktops. Apps on mobiles have limited security as compared to desktops / laptops.
USE banking sites that have a URL starting with https. This ensures that whatever information is transmitted from the user’s side to the bank’s server end will always be in encrypted form.
READ terms and conditions along with the privacy policy for every single app that you want to subscribe to. Remember, most sites and apps take personal information and use it for marketing purposes, creating a lot of spam mails for users.
ASK banks for chip-based cards. They are difficult to be clone or to skim.
NEVER give your hand-held device, such as a mobile, to any unwarranted or unauthorised persons. They can compromise your mobile and steal information to commit fraudulent transactions.
ALWAYS install a licensed version of an anti-virus and keep it updated at all times.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU BECOME A VICTIM GO to the police station where you reside and make a complaint; also hand over a copy of the complaint to the cyber cell.
REMEMBER, the police cannot deny you in making an FIR; give proper and accurate facts in the FIR which will help the police speed up investigation in to your matter.
MAKE a complaint if a bank fraud has been committed immediately. Go to the police station and hand over a complaint to your bank. This may help in getting your money back.
