​Who works for  cyber security at your work place  or at home?
The use of Digital Technology is increasing day by day. In the matter of very few years the internet centralized itself as a very powerful platform that has changed forever the way we work and the way we communicate . Internet has become the Universal source of information for millions of people, at home, at school, and at work.
Two things have marked it's evolution recently:

1. The Social Web
2. Mobile Technology.

These two innovations have changed the way people use the Internet.
 But every coin has two sides.
Along with all these benefits and advantages ,there are a lot of things present in the  internet which are very harmful for us.
Example:

• Illegal or inappropriate material can be found in the
• The addiction to online social network can disturb person’s way of living and professional activity and also it can lead to the person end up being a victim of Cyber Stalking or Online Harassment (Cyber Crime).
• Some criminals use the internet for spreading computer viruses or even intercepting credit card or bank details for spurious purposes
• While chatting with unknown people on Social media platforms , people end  up getting their device compromised due to some Trojans or Spyware injected in the device.
• Just because of lack of awareness people end up becoming the victim of Online Transaction fraud (Credit/Debit Card Frauds).

 
We all know about the existence of this problem , but what is the solution to it?
-The answer to this question is : Awareness about Cyber Security Threats and also the Countermeasures to prevent it.
 
COMMON ATTACKS DONE ON INDIVIDUAL LEVEL:

• Malware Attack: Malware, or malicious software, is any program or file that is harmful to a computer user. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses and spyware. These malicious programs can perform a variety of functions, including stealing, encrypting or deleting sensitive data, altering or hijacking core computing functions and monitoring users' computer activity without their permission.
• Phishing Attack: Phishing is a method of trying to gather personal information using deceptive e-mails and websites.
• Password Cracking: Password cracking refers to various measures used to discover computer passwords. This is usually accomplished by recovering passwords from data stored in, or transported from, a computer system. Password cracking is done by either repeatedly guessing the password, usually through a computer algorithm in which the computer tries numerous combinations until the password is successfully discovered.
• Social Engineering: Social engineering is the art of manipulating users of a computing system into revealing confidential information that can be used to gain unauthorized access to a computer system. The term can also include activities such as exploiting human kindness, greed, and curiosity to gain access to restricted access buildings or getting the users to installing backdoor software. Malware Attack & Phishing Attack are also type of Social Engineering.

 
COUNTERMEASURES:

• Malware Attack:

1. Installing Anti Malware Applications/Software.
2. Regularly get the Data/Drive scanned and analyzed.
3. Gaining basic knowledge on working of Malwares.
4. Installing basic Internet Security Application/Software.
5. Not downloading Third-Party Applications.

• Phishing Attack:

1. Filter your Email: It's important that you filter your emails for malicious URLs and attachments to prevent phishing emails making it to your users in the first place.
2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication.
3. Think Before You Click : It’s fine to click on links when you’re on trusted sites. Clicking on links that appear in random emails and instant messages, however, isn’t such a smart move.
4. Scanning the unknown links on virustotal.com . It gives the exact report of testing performed on that particular link by all the Anti-malware/Anti-virus.

 

• Password Cracking:

1. Change all the default passwords on each new and existing devices/Systems. For Eg: Wi-fi Routers , CCTV , etc.
2. Never use Same passwords for privileged user accounts between systems.
3. Change password often (once in a month).
4. One should never use Name, DOB, etc. As it becomes very easy for a hacker to guess the password.
5. The password strength has to be 14-18 characters. A strong password should include Alphabets (Uppercase & Lowercase), Numbers, Special Characters.

 

• Social Engineering:

1. Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, visits, or email messages from individuals asking about employees or other internal information. If an unknown individual claims to be from a legitimate organization, try to verify his or her identity directly with the company.
2. Do not provide personal information or information about your organization, including its structure or networks, unless you are certain of a person's authority to have the information.
3. Pay attention to the URL of a website. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site, but the URL may use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com vs. .net).
4. Take advantage of any anti-phishing features offered by your email client and web browser.

​Leo Govind Ray
​Leo Club Of Mumbai Carter Road