Jamtara is not unknown to most of us. Thanks to Netflix India, the biggest phishing centre is now in the lists of binge-watchers as well the journos. The story brings out the lurking risks of cyberattacks. Around 40,300 cyber attacks were attempted in the last 4-5 days on the resources in Indian cyberspace. Attacks aimed at causing issues such as a denial of service, hijacking of internet protocol, and phishing to mint money.
According to the Times of India, a whopping 630% increase was seen in the cloud-based system in Jan-April this year. Furthermore, what sends a chill down the spine is the fact that these cyber attacks come on top of the extraordinary COVID-19 challenges all of us are already dealing with.
We are in a connected world. We have millions of internet users and more activities will be carried on the internet and public networks. We have set a target of 5 million USD economy; hence a slight attempt of a breach can see our hopes tumbling down. But the essence of the matter lies in the fact of our preparedness as a consumer as well as a citizen. It doesn’t matter whether the attackers are traced back to the hinterlands of a country or any disorganized crime group, the rule remains the same: DM RUST. What is DM RUST, you ask? Its an acronym for the rules of safety we must maintain in navigating cyberspaces.
- Don’t reveal your personal and financial data.
- Maintain ‘Cyber Hygiene’.
- Report any unusual activities.
- Use safe browsing tools and create robust firewalls.
- Strengthen security by using a multi-factor authentication code.
- Think before you click.
A bit of sensitization can prevent all of us from BYOD or Bringing Your Own Disaster.