Stay Safe on Internet

Following are the steps we can take to reduce the risk of getting hacked. Spread the awareness to your near and dear to prevent them from becoming a victim of cyber crime. Always be alert while surfing the net. A small mistake can cost a high loss.

1. If you want to store your personal information online, store it in an encrypted format. Keep the physical copies of your financial documents and records in a safe place.

2. Before you dispose of a computer or a smart phone, permanently delete all information from the internal storage by using various software tools and methods available. Keep in mind that printers, copiers, and fax machines can also retain data which must be removed before selling or donating.

3. Do not disclose any personal or financial information to an unknown recipients. The banks and other financial institutions will not ask you for personal information including account number, PIN, Passwords or OTPs over the phone or email. Never give out information over the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you have initiated the contact or know who you are dealing with.

4. If you are receiving an email from bank or other financial institutions or any other unknown entity asking you to provide any specific personal information, do not click any links provided in those emails. Instead open the website of that bank or financial institution and contact the customer care if necessary.

5. Avoid posting personal information such as age, date of birth, maiden name, relationship status, address, or other identifying information on social media sites.

6. Keep your passwords confidential. Use different and complex passwords for different sites used by you. Be sure to include special characters, numbers, and a mix of upper and lower-case characters to assure password complexity.

7. Avoid using Wi-Fi without any authentication. Secure your home and office Wi-Fi by providing authentication.

8. Always use licensed software. Secure your computer and smart phone with a licensed anti-virus and anti-malware software. Turn on your personal firewall.

9. Update your products regularly.

The first Robot in Indian Police

Kerala Police has become the first police force in the country to use a robot for police work.  Named as KP-Bot, the Sub Inspector ranked lady robot will perform duties of the front office of the police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. Chief Minister of Kerala, Sh. Pinarayi Vijayan on 19/02/2019 inaugurated the humanoid police robot at the police headquarters in the state.

The KP-Bot will be deployed to perform duties of the front office of the police headquarters which means that it will receive visitors and direct them to different places as and when required.The visitors can directly interact with the SI-ranked KP-Bot. The robot is equipped with facilities to fix appointment with officers, provide them with identity cards and also open new files based on their grievances.

Just like other police officers, the RoboCop is capable of identifying higher officials and greet them with a salute.

Its duties would include identifying and guiding a visitor to the concerned department. It would also enquire about the details of the visitors and record their complaints.

There are plans to update the RoboCop with more features like face recognition and explosive detection.

Last year State Police Chief had announced during the Cocoon Cyber Conference that robots will be introduced in the police force. Following the announcement the project was realised by state police cyberdome and a Kochi based start-up, Asimov.

Courtesy : India Today

Prevent Credit Card Fraud

The incidents of online credit card fraud rose day by day and cyber security experts are urging the customers to take simple measures to protect their money. The rising popularity of online shopping and on line transactions more and more people are availing these services without thinking much of security and the cyber criminals are targeting such no wise users.

Fraudsters acquire credit card details, make a small purchase to ensure the card will work and then start making much bigger purchases until the scam is uncovered and the card is cancelled.

Follow some simple security measures will protect you from such fraud.

• Look for “https” not “http” when online: If you’re using your credit card details online, look for “https://” at the beginning of the website address instead of the previously prevalent “http://”.
• Review your statements. Go through your statements carefully, and if you spot a suspicious transaction, report it immediately.
• Don’t provide details via email or via phone. Never provide your credit card or bank account details via email or phone. No bank will ask you the details of your credit card and no reputable seller deals this way.
• Check your credit. Obtain a credit report to verify that your details have not been used to open any fraudulent accounts.
• Never allow your card to swipe in a swiping machine kept away from your vicinity in a POS. Ask the person to swipe it in front of you. Fraudsters use skimmers to clone your card.
• Never disclose your PIN to anybody even to your near and dear.
• Do not allow anybody to use your smart phone. They can install a spy app in your smart phone and obtain all the details from your phone including OTPs.

Tips for safe e-mailing

E-mail or electronic mail is one of the quickest medium of communication. Most of us have our personal or official e-mail Ids. We can send not only simple text but also files, pictures, videos etc as an attachment with an email.  However, it’s important that your personal information remains secure and safe and that you aren’t open to viruses or hackers.

Some precautions to be taken for safe e-mailing. Few of them are described below:

·         Your password is your master key. Do not share your email password with anybody and make it a habit to change your password regularly.

·         Most of the time, we click on reply button to send a reply to a mail received by you. Try to avoid the same since hackers use different methods to redirect your mail to their own mail account. Always compose a new message and type the recipients email address. If you want to click reply button to send a reply, please check the e-mail address shown on the address bar.

·         Don’t open attachments from anyone you don’t know. It may contain malware, spyware, virus or Trojan which harm your computer and collects sensitive information.

·         Always Log out or sign off from your account once you finished your work

·         Keep your personal information personal – don’t share bank or credit card information by email.

·         Make sure that you have antivirus software installed and keep it up to date.

You should watch the online activities of your children

It is very much important that you should keep a close watch on the online activities of your children. There are lot of cases of Cyber Grooming, Cyber Bullying and Cyber Stalking against children who are active on Internet. You should make aware them about the traps in cyber world and safe use of Internet and other online activities like online gaming, online chatting etc.

Grooming means that an adult is getting to know and befriending a child with the intention of sexually abusing it. Grooming doesn’t have to be online, but the internet gives perpetrators the anonymity to act more freely and access to children who are not under direct parental supervision. If your children spend more time on online and try to keep their activities secret or they oppose you when you try to control them, it might be a clear indication that they are going to be the victim of Cyber grooming.

Cyber bullying or cyber harassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyber bullying and cyber harassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers. Cyber bullying is when someone, typically teens, bully or harass others on social media sites. Harmful bullying behavior can include posting rumors, threats, sexual remarks, a victims' personal information, or pejorative labels (i.e., hate speech).Bullying or harassment can be identified by repeated behavior and intent to harm. Victims may have lower self-esteem, increased suicidal tendency, and a variety of emotional responses, including being scared, frustrated, angry, and depressed.

Cyber stalking is a crime in which the attacker harasses a victim using electronic communication, such as e-mail or instant messaging (IM), or messages posted to a Web site or a discussion group. A cyber stalker relies upon the anonymity afforded by the Internet to allow them to stalk their victim without being detected.

Please instruct your child about the necessity of safe browsing and protect them from online abuses.

Always educate your children about the necessity of privacy settings in social media platforms.

Monitor your child’s online activity always. Install necessary tracking tools in your computer to do so.

If your system is equipped with a built in camera or a web cam, always cover it if not in use. You may aware, a hacker can get into your system and access the camera to record your movements.

Do not allow your children to install any unwanted software tools or other gaming tools downloaded from untrustworthy web sites. It may lead to install any spyware on your system and steal the valuable information from your system.

Do not click any suspicious links received through e-mail or any other means. It may be a phishing link that may lead to a false web site that exactly looks like the website you want to browse.

Always use licensed software. Pirated software do not provide you enough security.

Always update your software with latest updates. It is very much necessary to stay secure.

Remember, your child’s safety is in your hands. Educate them.

Stay Safe on Social Media

Social Media is one of the most popular medium of communication today. We are using social media sites like Face book, Twitter, LinkedIn etc. and such platforms are one of the  perfect targets for scams.

Here are some of the basic precautions to stay safe on social media:

1.  Use a strong password.  The longer it is, the more secure it will be.

2.  Use a different password for each of your social media accounts.

3.  Set up your security answers.  This option is available for most social media sites.

4.  If you have social media apps on your phone, be sure to password protect your device.

5.  Be selective with friend requests. If you don’t know the person, don’t accept their request.  It could be a fake account.

6.  Click links with caution.  Social media accounts are regularly hacked.  Look out for language or content that does not sound like something your friend would post.

7.  Be careful about what you share. Don’t reveal sensitive personal information ie: home address, financial information, phone number etc.  The more you post the easier it is to have your identity stolen.

8.  Become familiar with the privacy policies of the social media channels you use and customize your privacy settings to control who sees what.

9.  Protect your computer by installing antivirus software to safeguard.  Also ensure that your browser, operating system, and software are kept up to date.

10.      Finally, Remember to log off when you’re done.

Stay secure on Cyber World: Few Tips

There are few steps given below to browse secure on Internet. Following them strictly will reduce the risk of losing your valuable information.

1. Always remember that somebody is watching your activities. You are an attractive target to hackers who sniff around the net. Don’t think that ‘I am Safe”

2. Physical security of your device is as important as logical security. Please lock your systems (Desktops, Laptops and Smart Phones etc.) so that no one can use it while you are away. If you are using some external devices like external hard disks, flash drives etc. please do not keep it unattended. Keep them in a safe locker.

3. Always follow the secure password policy. Use a strong mix of characters to form your password. Don’t use same password for multiple sites. Do not write your password anywhere just to remember it and sharing your passwords with others will harm you. People use easy to guess and similar passwords for the simple reason that they have too many and they can be hard to remember. But remember, it is one of the biggest security mistakes. An ideal password needs to be hard to guess. It should be long, have capitals, special characters and it should not be related to something someone might know about you (e.g: date of birth),

4. Do not click on email links or attachments you do not recognise. If it’s unexpected or suspicious for any reason, don’t click on it. Double check the URL of the website the link takes you to: bad actors will often take advantage of spelling mistakes to direct you to a harmful domain. Malware – a malicious piece of code - could get on your machine when you open an attachment or link.

Clicking on unknown links may lead to “phishing” sites that harvest usernames and passwords.

Pay attention to suspect emails as more and more hackers are getting sophisticated in the way they write them. 

It may be easy to avoid the email which claims you have won lottery.

5. Hackers can harvest usernames and password using fake WebPages designed to look like the ones you use, such as your bank or your Face book account.

You put your username and password in and in real-time while you are doing that, they are doing the same on your banking page. They are not storing it for later but robbing you real time. Hence sensitive browsing, such as banking or shopping, should only be done on a device that belongs to you, on a network that you trust. Whether it’s a friend’s phone, a public computer, or a cafe’s free Wi-Fi—your data could be copied or stolen.

6. Beware of sharing sensitive information such as your vacation plan, your work details etc. on social platforms. Criminals can befriend you and easily gain access to a shocking amount of information

7. Beware of Pop-ups. If we are generally aware about suspicious attachments, we might not think that closing a pop-up window might make us vulnerable to hacking. When you are shopping online for instance, and get an ad pop up, clicking and closing on one of those might actually install a malicious piece of code on your machine that may lead to steal your sensitive information by hackers.

8. Back up your data regularly, and make sure your anti-virus software is always up to date.

Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India released an e-booklet titled ” A Hand Book for Adolescents / Students on Cyber Safety”

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has come out with a booklet on cyber safety for teenagers titled “A Hand Book for Adolescents / Students on Cyber Safety” keeping in mind the increased use of smart phones and other internet of things (IoT) by teenagers and students and the various incidents of cyber bullying, cyber grooming, email fraud and dangerous games like blue whale etc.

 The booklet also explains various kinds of cyber crimes like identity theft, job fraud, email spoofing and how children can overcome them.

It advises teenagers against accepting friend requests from unknown people on social media.

The Home Ministry last year set up a Cyber and Information Security division to check the rapid growth of cyber crimes and cyber threats. It now aims to introduce the cyber crime handbook in schools as a component of the school curriculum.

This hand book also describes about online gaming frauds, online transaction frauds and safeguard for social networking profiles etc.

The 38 page booklet that is available online on the ministries website is prepared in consultation with cyber crime experts. It is a good steps towards making awareness to the teenagers and students about the traps in the internet world and how to be secure.

This hand book is beneficial for others also.

More about Passwords

Make your password complex but easy to remember.

Use mnemonics.

Eg: - if your password is iloveyou@123 write it as 1l0v3y0u@123 (here i is replaced with 1, o is replaced with 0 and e is replaced with 3 so that it could be hard to break by a hacker and easy to remember by you. Otherwise iloveyou@123 is an easily breakable password.)

Security tip of the day

Passwords are just like your locker key.  Do not share it with anyone.

 Keep the password little bit complex by using upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters.

Do not use dictionary words and something that related to you.

Change your password regularly.

Do not keep it in writing, just remember it.

Bitten by the Google bug?

The new edition of Dataquest reports a bug in the Google accounts: The report is reproduced below:


It can be very embarassing to type in the wrong window while using Gtalk, especially with your colleagues. This time, if your messages gets delivered to your co-workers, you can say it's not your fault. Many Google acocounts have been affected by a bug today.




No one has figured out the pattern in the message and it seems like G-talk selects random people and sends your messages to them.



According to the update on Google app board, Google is looking into this glitch. The update read "The problem with Gmail should be resolved. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and support."



Earlier, there was a problem with email delivery. They were apparently triggered by a dual network failure. The Times Of India reported Sabrina Farmer, Senior Site Reliability Engineering Manager say, "This is a very rare event in which two separate redundant network paths, both stop working at the same time."



We suggest all the users of Google Talk and Google Hangout to be very careful about sending chats and messages. If you don't want your boss to read you bitching about him to a friend, don't do that over chat.

Google's World's Largest Cloud Computing Centre to be setup in Hyderabad, India

Google announced its world's largest cloud computing centre would be set up in Hyderabad, India to attend to both global and Indian operations. Cloud computing is known as the next big thing in the web. In a cloud computing environment, users instead of running applications on their desktops, access the same applications from the large data centre called clouds. Cloud computing is Web-based processing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices (such as smartphones) on demand over the Internet.

BlackBerry

Recently, BlackBerry is in news. Here we are going to discuss what BlackBerry means.
BlackBerry is a line of mobile e-mail and smart phone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) since 1996.
BlackBerry functions as a personal digital assistant with address book, calendar and to-do list capabilities. It also functions as a portable media player with support for music and video playback and camera picture and video capabilities. BlackBerry is primarily known for its ability to send and receive (push) Internet e-mail wherever mobile network service coverage is present, or through Wi-Fi connectivity. BlackBerry is mainly a messaging phone with the largest array of messaging features in a smartphone today. This includes auto-text, auto-correct, text prediction, support for many languages, keyboard shortcuts, text emoticons, push email, push Facebook and MySpace notifications, push EBay notifications, push instant messaging with BlackBerry Messenger, Google Messenger, ICQ, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger; threaded text messaging and a customizable indicator light near the top right of all Blackberry devices. All notifications and conversations from applications are shown in a unified messaging application which third party applications can access also. Many of these applications would have to be running in the background of other phones to be used. BlackBerry's push gives BlackBerry devices their renowned battery life. All data on the phone is compressed through BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS). BlackBerry has about two thirds less data transfer than any other smart phone, while supplying the same information.
BlackBerry commands a 20.8% share of worldwide smartphone sales, making it the second most popular platform after Nokia's Symbian OS. The consumer BlackBerry Internet Service is available in 91 countries worldwide on over 500 mobile service operators using various mobile technologies.
The first BlackBerry device was introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager. In 2002, the more commonly known smart phone BlackBerry was released, which supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, Internet faxing, Web browsing and other wireless information services. It is an example of a convergent device.

Cyber Attacks

Cyber attacks are the newest form of warfare!! It is true. An article published in The Hindu dated 04/10/2010 by Mr. Peter Beaumont confirms this. The article says an attack aimed at an Iranian nuclear plant and a recently revealed 2008 incident at a US base show the spread of cyber weapons. The gist of the article is reproduced below:

A deliberate computer worm attack was happened in the computer system of the U.S military's central command which would take 14 months to eradicate. The Modus Operandi was, worm infected memory sticks were scattered in the bathroom at a military base of U.S with a hope in the human error. Somebody picked up the memory stick and used in the computer system which resulted in infection of worm to the computer network.

Like wise an attack of worm has happened in an Iranian nuclear reactor which delayed the commissioning of the reactor.

The full story is available in The Hindu daily, dated 04th October 2010.

CARD SKIMMERS

A card skimmer is a device which is designed to steal information from a card with a magnetic strip, classically a credit card, when the card is used in a legitimate financial transaction. Once collected on the device, the skimmer can be used to make a clone of the card which can be used for fraudulent purposes, or the collected information can be utilized for online and over the phone transactions which do not require a physical credit card, only the information on the card. There are several ways in which a card skimmer can be used. Some skimmers are designed as standalone units through which a card must be swiped. The second type of skimmer is a small electronic device which attaches to a credit card terminal or automated teller machine (ATM). In this case, every time a card is swiped or inserted, the skimmer gathers the user's information, and it may be attached to a device which logs keystrokes to collect the personal identity numbers (PINs) of people who use the terminal.
People can protect themselves from credit card skimmers in a number of ways. If a credit card is taken by someone to be run, the card holder can ask to watch the process. Most credit card terminals are kept in plain view, making it easy for people to see if their cards are run twice, or if there is anything unusual about the way in which the card is handled. When asked to enter a PIN, people should also get into the habit of covering their hands while they enter the number, to make it harder to collect the number with the use of a camera or observation.
Standalone credit card terminals with card skimmers may look or behave in a slightly unusual way. For example, the area to insert the card may be loose or crooked, indicating that it has been moved, or that a card skimmer has been attached over the actual area of insertion. People who regularly use the same terminal may also want to note changes in the configuration, which could indicate that a skimmer is being used. Card skimmers are also often accompanied by cameras to log PINs.

Six arrested for credit card scam in Kerala

An international gang of credit card fraudsters has been arrested by Kerala Police. These fraudsters had purchased gold ornaments from a shop and later it was found that the credit cards used were fake ones.
The gang imported blank credit cards from China and embossed credit card numbers on these blank credit cards using Chinese punching machine. They collected the details of credit cards of different people from ATM booths through skimmer, through hacking and from foreign sources and wrote the details into the new credit cards made by them. Using these credit cards, they purchased gold worth of RS 2.75 lakhs using different credit cards from a gold ornament shop in Kannur district in Kerala.

Source : www.keralapolice.org (The official website of Kerala Police)

ZOMBIE

zombie computer or often called Zombie is a computer connected to the Internet that has been compromised by a hacker, a computer virus, or a trojan horse. Generally, a compromised machine is only one of many in a botnet, and will be used to perform malicious tasks of one sort or another under remote direction. Most owners of zombie computers are unaware that their system is being used in this way.

OPEN PROXY SERVERS

In computer networks, a proxy server is a server computer system that acts as an intermediary for requests from client computer systems seeking resources from other servers. A client connects to the proxy server, requesting some service available from a different server. The proxy server evaluates the request according to its filtering rules. A proxy server can be placed in the user's local computer or at various points between the user and the destination servers on the Internet.
An open proxy is a proxy server that is accessible by any Internet user. With an open proxy, however, any user on the Internet is able to use this forwarding service.
An open proxy allows a user to conceal his IP address and thereby help preserve his anonymity and maintain his security while browsing the Web or using other Internet services.
It is possible for a computer to run as an open proxy server without the computer's owner knowing this. This can result from misconfiguration of proxy software running on the computer, or from infection with malware (viruses, trojans or worms) designed for this purpose.. If it is caused by malware, the infected computer is known as a zombie computer.
There are hundreds of thousands of open proxies online. Running an open proxy is a high risk for the server operator; providing an anonymous proxy server can cause real legal troubles to the owner. Such services are frequently used to break into foreign computer systems, child pornography is usually consumed through proxies, and illegal content is likely to be spread through such proxies. Because open proxies are often implicated in abuse, a number of methods have been developed to detect them and to refuse service to them.

Credit Card Fraud Prevention Tips

1. Try not to let your credit card out of your sight whenever possible.
2. Be very careful to whom you give your credit card. Never give your credit card info out when you receive a phone call. Legitimate companies don't call you to ask for a credit card number over the phone.
3. Never respond to emails that request you provide your credit card info via email -- and don't ever respond to emails that ask you to go to a website to verify personal (and credit card) information. These are called 'phishing' scams.
4. Never provide your credit card information on a website that is not a secure site.
5. Sign your credit cards as soon as you receive them.
6. Don't write your PIN number on your credit card -- or have it anywhere near your credit card.
7. Never leave your credit cards or receipts lying around.
8. Shield your credit card number so that others around you can't copy it or capture it on a cell phone or other camera.
9. Keep a list in a secure place with all of your account numbers and expiration dates, as well as the phone number and address of each bank that has issued you a credit card. Keep this list updated each time you get a new credit card.
10. Only carry around credit cards that you absolutely need. Don't carry around extra credit cards that you rarely use.
11. Open credit card bills promptly and make sure there are no bogus charges. Treat your credit card bill like your checking account -- reconcile it monthly. Save your receipts so you can compare them with your monthly bills.
12. Never write your credit card account number in a public place (such as on a postcard or so that it shows through the envelope payment window).
13. Never lend a credit card to anyone else.
14. If you change your residence, notify your credit card issuers in advance of your change of address.

TWO ARRESTED FOR FORWARDING FAKE E-MAIL

The Kerala Police Cyber Cell arrested two youths on charges of circulating an e-mail, which contained a picture of a palatial mansion, wrongly attributed to CPM Politburo member and State Secretary Mr. Pinarayi Vijayan. The arrested were Manoj, employed in Nigeria is on leave and now in Kerala and Karthik, a student. They were booked under Section 66 (A) of the I T Act 2008, which said sending offensive messages through electronic means was punishable. This is the first ever case registered in Kerala under the amended Information Technology Act. Now the Kerala Police Cyber Cell is trying to find out the source of the mail. The duo were arrested on charges of forwarding the mail after adding some captions and forwarded to nearly 3 lakhs addresses. These arrests would send a strong message to all those who forward spontaneously malevolent e-mails to others, said Cyber Cell DySP.

Courtsey : The Indian Express daily dated 23rd November 2009