Cyber Threats

Introduction

Social media has become integral to our lives and livelihood in today’s digital world. Influencers are now strong people who shape trends, views, and consumer behaviour. Influencers have become targets for bad actors aiming to abuse their fame due to their significant internet presence. Unfortunately, account hacking has grown frequently, with significant ramifications for influencers and their followers. Furthermore, the emergence of social media platforms in recent years has opened the way for influencer culture. Influencers exert power over their followers’ ideas, lifestyle choices, and purchase decisions. Influencers and brands frequently collaborate to exploit their reach, resulting in a mutually beneficial environment. As a result, the value of influencer accounts has risen dramatically, attracting the attention of hackers trying to abuse their potential for financial gain or personal advantage.

Instances of recent attacks

Places of worship

The hackers have targeted renowned temples for fulfilling their malicious activities the recent attack happened on The Khautji Shyam Temple, a famous religious institution with enormous cultural and spiritual value for its adherents. It serves as a place of worship, community events, and numerous religious activities. However, since technology has invaded all sectors of life, the temple’s online presence has developed, giving worshippers access to information, virtual darshans (holy viewings), and interactive forums. Unfortunately, this digital growth has also rendered the shrine vulnerable to cyber threats. The hackers hacked the Facebook page twice in the month, demanded donations and hacked the cheques the devotes gave to the trust. The second event happened by posting objectional images on the page and hurting the sentiments of the devotees. The Committee of the temple has filed an FIR under various charges and is also seeking help from the cyber cell.

Social media Influencers

Influencers enjoy a vast online following worldwide, but their presence is limited to the digital space. Hence every video, photo is of importance to them. An incident took place with leading news anchor and reporter Barkha Dutt, where in her youtube channel was hacked into, and all the posts made from the channel were deleted. The hackers also replaced the channel’s logo with Tesla and were streaming a live video on the channel featuring Elon Musk. A similar incident was reported by influencer Tanmay Bhatt, who also lost all the content e had posted on his channel. The hackers use the following methods to con social media influencers:

• Social engineering
• Phishing
• Brute Force Attacks

Such attacks on influencers can cause harm to their reputation, can also cause financial loss, and even lose the trust of the viewers or the followers who follow them, thus further impacting the collaborations.

Safeguards

Social media influencers need to be very careful about their cyber security as their prominent presence is in the online world. The influencers from different platforms should practice the following safeguards to protect themselves and their content better online

Secure your accounts

Protecting your accounts with passphrases or strong passwords is the first step. The best strategy for doing this is to create a passphrase, a phrase only you know. We advise choosing a passphrase with at least four words and 15 characters.

To further secure your accounts, you must enable multi-factor authentication in the second step.

To access your account, a hacker must guess your password and provide a second authentication factor (such as a face scan or fingerprint) that matches yours.

Be careful about who has access

Many social media influencers collaborate with a team to help generate and post content while building their personal brands.

This entails using team members who can write and produce material that influencers can share themselves, according to some of them. In these situations, the influencer is the only person who still has access to the account.

There are more potential weak spots when more people have access. Additionally, it increases the number of ways a password or account access could fall into the hands of a cybercriminal. Only some staff members will be as cautious about password security as you may be.

Stay up-to-date on the threats

What’s the most significant way to combat threats to computer security? Information.

Cybercriminals constantly adapt their methods. It’s crucial to stay informed about these threats and how they can be utilised against you.

But it’s not just threats. Social media platforms and other service providers are likewise changing their offerings to avoid these challenges.

Educate yourself to protect yourself. You can keep one step ahead of the hazards that cybercriminals offer by continuously educating yourself.

Preach cybersecurity

As influencers, cyber security should be preached, no matter your agenda.

This will also enable users to inculcate best practices for digital hygiene.

This will also boost the reporting numbers and increase population awareness, thus eradicating such bad actors from our cyberspace.

Acknowledge the risks

Keeping a blind eye will always hurt the safety aspects, as ignorance always causes issues.

Risks should be kept in mind while creating the digital routine and netiquette

Always inform your users of risk existing and potential risks

Monitor threats

After the acknowledgement, it is essential to monitor threats.

Active lookout for threats will allow you to understand the modus Operandi and the vulnerabilities to avoid criminals

Threats monitoring is also a basic netizens’ responsibility to ensure that the threats are reported as they emerge.

Interpret the data

All cyber nodal agencies release data and trends of cybercrimes, understand the trends and protect your vulnerabilities.

Data interpretation can lead to an early flagging of threats and issues, thus protecting the cyber ecosystem by and large.

Create risk profiles

All influencers should create risk profiles and backup profiles.

This will also help protect one’s data as it can be stored on different profiles.

Risk profiles and having a private profile are essential to safeguard the basic cyber interests of an influencer.

Conclusion

As we go deeper into the digital age, we see more technologies emerging, but along with them, we see a new generation of cyber threats and challenges. The physical, as well as the cyberspace, is now inter twinned and interdependent. Practising basic cyber security practices, hygiene, netiquette, and monitoring best practices will go a long way in protecting the online interests of the Influencers and will impact their followers to engage in best practices thus safeguarding the cyber ecosystem at large.

Introduction

Devices and interconnectivity are the pipelines which drive the data into cyberspace, and in turn, the users consume this data to perform different tasks in the digital age. The security of devices and networks is essential as they are the first defenders of cyberspace. Bad actors often target systems and networks with malware and ransomware, these attacks are differently motivated, but all wreak havoc upon the system and can impact individuals and organisations alike. Mobile users worldwide prefer iOS or Android, but both operating systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks these days. Some of these attacks go undetected for a long time.

Op Triangulation

As reported by Kaspersky, While monitoring the network traffic of their own corporate Wi-Fi network dedicated to mobile devices using the Kaspersky Unified Monitoring and Analysis Platform (KUMA), Kaspersky noticed suspicious activity that originated from several iOS-based phones. Since it is impossible to inspect modern iOS devices from the inside, they created offline backups of the devices in question, inspected them using the Mobile Verification Toolkit’s mvt-ios and discovered traces of compromise. This is known as Operation Triangulation and has been in action since 2019 and got detected in 2023.

The Malware

A portion of the filesystem, including some of the user data and service databases, is included in mobile device backups. The files, directories, and database entries’ timestamps make it possible to reconstruct the events that happened to the device roughly. The “timeline.csv” file created by the mvt-ios software contains a sorted timeline of events that is comparable to the super-timeline utilised by traditional digital forensic tools. Pinpointing particular artefacts that show the compromise using this timeframe. This made it possible to advance the research and reassemble the broad infection sequence:

Through the iMessage service, a message with an attachment containing an exploit is delivered to the target iOS device.

The message initiates a vulnerability that results in code execution without any user input.

The exploit’s code downloads multiple additional stages, including additional exploits for privilege escalation, from the C&C server.

After successful exploitation, a fully functional APT platform is downloaded as the final payload from the C&C server.

The first message and the attachment’s exploit are removed

The lack of persistence support in the harmful toolset is most likely a result of OS restrictions. Multiple devices’ timeframes suggest that after rebooting, they might get infected again. The earliest signs of infection that we found date to 2019. The most recent version of the devices that have been successfully attacked as of the time of writing in June 2023 is iOS 15.7.

The final payload analysis is still ongoing. The programme executes with root rights, implements a set of commands for gathering user and system data, and can run any code downloaded as plugin modules from the C&C server.

Malicious Domains

Using the forensic artefacts, it was possible to identify the domain name set used by the exploits and further malicious stages. They can be used to check the DNS logs for historical information and to identify the devices currently running the malware:

addatamarket[.]net

backuprabbit[.]com

businessvideonews[.]com

cloudsponcer[.]com

datamarketplace[.]net

mobilegamerstats[.]com

snoweeanalytics[.]com

tagclick-cdn[.]com

topographyupdates[.]com

unlimitedteacup[.]com

virtuallaughing[.]com

web-trackers[.]com

growthtransport[.]com

anstv[.]netAns7tv[.]net

Safeguards for iOS users

Despite its world-class safety and privacy architecture, iOS is vulnerable to a few attacks; the following steps can be undertaken to safeguard iOS users –

Keeping Device updated

Security patches

Disabling iMessage would prevent Zero clicks exploits or the Triangulation attacks

Paying zero attention to unwanted, unsolicited messages

The user should make sure that any application they are downloading or installing; it should be from a trusted source ( This Zero click attack does not occur by any other means, It exploits / it targets software vulnerabilities in operating systems networks and applications)

Being cautious with the messaging app and emails

Implement device restrictions (management features like parental control and restrictions over using necessary applications)

Conclusion

Operation Triangulation is one of the recent operations combating cyber attacks, but such operations are launched nearly daily. This is also due to a rapid rise in internet and technology penetration across the world. Cyberattacks have taken a new face as they have evolved with the new and emerging technology. The influence of the Darknet has allowed many hackers to remain on the black hat side due to easy accessibility to illegal tools and material over the dark net, which facilitates such crimes.

Introduction

All citizens are using tech to their advantage, and so we see a lot of upskilling among the population leading to innovation in India. As we go deeper into cyberspace, we must maintain our cyber security efficiently and effectively. When bad actors use technology to their advantage, we often see data loss or financial loss of the victim, In this blog, we will shine light upon two new forms of cyber attacks, causing havoc upon the innocent. The “Daam” Malware and a new malicious app are the two new issues.

Daam Botnet

Since 2021, the DAAM Android botnet has been used to acquire unauthorised access to targeted devices. Cybercriminals use it to carry out different destructive actions. Using the DAAM Android botnet’s APK binding service, threat actors can combine malicious code with a legitimate application. Keylogging, ransomware, VOIP call records, runtime code execution, browser history collecting, incoming call recording, PII data theft, phishing URL opening, photo capture, clipboard data theft, WiFi and data status switching, and browser history gathering are just a few of the functions offered by the DAAM Android botnet. The DAAM botnet tracks user activity using the Accessibility Service and stores keystrokes it has recorded together with the name of the programme package in a database. It also contains a ransomware module that encrypts and decrypts data on the infected device using the AES method.

Additionally, the botnet uses the Accessibility service to monitor the VOIP call-making features of social media apps like WhatsApp, Skype, Telegram, and others. When a user engages with these elements, the virus begins audio recording.

The Malware

CERT-IN, the central nodal institution that reacts to computer security-related issues, claims that Daam connects with various Android APK files to access a phone. The files on the phone are encrypted using the AES encryption technique, and it is distributed through third-party websites.

It is claimed that the malware can damage call recordings and contacts, gain access to the camera, change passwords, take screenshots, steal SMS, download/upload files, and perform a variety of other things.

Safeguards and Guidelines by Cert-In

Cert-In has released the guideline for combating malware. These were issued in the public interest. The recommendations by Cert-In are as follows-

Only download from official app stores to limit the risk of potentially harmful apps.

Before downloading an app, always read the details and user reviews; likewise, always give permissions that are related to the program’s purpose.

Install Android updates solely from Android device vendors as they become available.

Avoid visiting untrustworthy websites or clicking on untrustworthy

Install and keep anti-virus and anti-spyware software up to date.

Be cautious if you see mobile numbers that appear to be something other than genuine/regular mobile numbers.

Conduct sufficient investigation Before clicking on a link supplied in a communication.

Only click on URLs that clearly display the website domain; avoid abbreviated URLs, particularly those employing bit.ly and tinyurl.

Use secure browsing technologies and filtering tools in antivirus, firewall, and filtering services.

Before providing sensitive information, look for authentic encryption certificates by looking for the green lock in your browser’s URL information, look for authentic encryption certificates by looking for the green lock in your browser’s URL bar.

Any ‘strange’ activity in a user’s bank account must be reported immediately to the appropriate bank.

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New Malicious App

From the remote parts of Jharkhand, a new form of malicious application has been circulated among people on the pretext of a bank account closure. The bad actors have always used messaging platforms like Whatsapp and Telegram to circulate malicious links among unaware and uneducated people to dupe them of their hard-earned money.

They send an ordinary-looking message on Whatsapp or Telegram where they mention that the user has a bank account at ICICI bank and, due to irregularity with the credentials, their account is being deactivated. Further, they ask users to update their PAN card to reactivate their account by uploading the PAN card on an application. This app, in turn, is a malicious app that downloads all the user’s personal credentials and shares them with the bad actors via text message, allowing them to bypass banks’ two-factor authentication and drain the money from their accounts. The Jharkhand Police Cyber Cells have registered numerous FIRs pertaining to this type of cybercrime and are conducting full-scale investigations to apprehend the criminals.

Conclusion

Malware and phishing attacks have gained momentum in the previous years and have become a major contributor to the tally of cybercrimes in the country. DaaM malware is one of the examples brought into light due to the timely action by Cert-In, but still, a lot of such malware are deployed by bad actors, and we as netizens need to use our best practices to keep such criminals at bay. Phishing crimes are often substantiated by exploiting vulnerabilities and social engineering. Thus working towards a rise in awareness is the need of the hour to safeguard the population by and large.

Introduction

In today’s time, everything is online, and the world is interconnected. Cases of data breaches and cyberattacks have been a reality for various organisations and industries, In the recent case (of SAS), Scandinavian Airlines experienced a cyberattack that resulted in the exposure of customer details, highlighting the critical importance of preventing customer privacy. The incident is a wake-up call for Airlines and businesses to evaluate their cyber security measures and learn valuable lessons to safeguard customers’ data. In this blog, we will explore the incident and discuss the strategies for protecting customers’ privacy in this age of digitalisation.

Analysing the backdrop

The incident has been a shocker for the aviation industry, SAS Scandinavian Airlines has been a victim of a cyberattack that compromised consumer data. Let’s understand the motive of cyber crooks and the technique they used :

Motive Behind the Attack: Understanding the reasons that may have driven the criminals is critical to comprehending the context of the Scandinavian Airlines cyber assault. Financial gain, geopolitical conflicts, activism, or personal vendettas are common motivators for cybercriminals. Identifying the purpose of the assault can provide insight into the attacker’s aims and the possible impact on both the targeted organisation and its consumers. Understanding the attack vector and strategies used by cyber attackers reveals the amount of complexity and possible weaknesses in an organisation’s cybersecurity defences. Scandinavian Airlines’ cyber assault might have included phishing, spyware, ransomware, or exploiting software weaknesses. Analysing these tactics allows organisations to strengthen their security against similar assaults.

Impact on Victims: The Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) cyber attack victims, including customers and individuals related to the company, have suffered substantial consequences. Data breaches and cyber-attack have serious consequences due to the leak of personal information.

1)Financial Losses and Fraudulent Activities: One of the most immediate and upsetting consequences of a cyber assault is the possibility of financial loss. Exposed personal information, such as credit card numbers, can be used by hackers to carry out illegal activities such as unauthorised transactions and identity theft. Victims may experience financial difficulties and the need to spend time and money resolving these concerns.

2)Concerns about privacy and personal security: A breach of personal data can significantly impact the privacy and personal security of victims. The disclosed information, including names, addresses, and contact information, might be exploited for nefarious reasons, such as targeted phishing or physical harassment. Victims may have increased anxiety about their safety and privacy, which can interrupt their everyday life and create mental pain.

3) Reputational Damage and Trust Issues: The cyber attack may cause reputational harm to persons linked with Scandinavian Airlines, such as workers or partners. The breach may diminish consumers’ and stakeholders’ faith in the organisation, leading to a bad view of its capacity to protect personal information. This lack of trust might have long-term consequences for the impacted people’s professional and personal relationships.

4) Emotional Stress and Psychological Impact: The psychological impact of a cyber assault can be severe. Fear, worry, and a sense of violation induced by having personal information exposed can create emotional stress and psychological suffering. Victims may experience emotions of vulnerability, loss of control, and distrust toward digital platforms, potentially harming their overall quality of life.

5) Time and Effort Required for Remediation: Addressing the repercussions of a cyber assault demands significant time and effort from the victims. They may need to call financial institutions, reset passwords, monitor accounts for unusual activity, and use credit monitoring services. Resolving the consequences of a data breach may be a difficult and time-consuming process, adding stress and inconvenience to the victims’ lives.

6) Secondary Impacts: The impacts of an online attack could continue beyond the immediate implications. Future repercussions for victims may include trouble acquiring credit or insurance, difficulties finding future work, and continuous worry about exploiting their personal information. These secondary effects can seriously affect victims’ financial and general well-being.

Apart from this, the trust lost would take time to rebuild.

Takeaways from this attack

The cyber-attack on Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is a sharp reminder of cybercrime’s ever-present and increasing menace. This event provides crucial insights that businesses and people may use to strengthen cybersecurity defences. In the lessons that were learned from the Scandinavian Airlines cyber assault and examine the steps that may be taken to improve cybersecurity and reduce future risks. Some of the key points that can be considered are as follows:

Proactive Risk Assessment and Vulnerability Management: The cyber assault on Scandinavian Airlines emphasises the significance of regular risk assessments and vulnerability management. Organisations must proactively identify and fix possible system and network vulnerabilities. Regular security audits, penetration testing, and vulnerability assessments can help identify flaws before bad actors exploit them.

Strong security measures and best practices: To guard against cyber attacks, it is necessary to implement effective security measures and follow cybersecurity best practices. Lessons from the Scandinavian Airlines cyber assault emphasise the importance of effective firewalls, up-to-date antivirus software, secure setups, frequent software patching, and strong password rules. Using multi-factor authentication and encryption technologies for sensitive data can also considerably improve security.

Employee Training and Awareness: Human mistake is frequently a big component in cyber assaults. Organisations should prioritise employee training and awareness programs to educate employees about phishing schemes, social engineering methods, and safe internet practices. Employees may become the first line of defence against possible attacks by cultivating a culture of cybersecurity awareness.

Data Protection and Privacy Measures: Protecting consumer data should be a key priority for businesses. Lessons from the Scandinavian Airlines cyber assault emphasise the significance of having effective data protection measures, such as encryption and access limits. Adhering to data privacy standards and maintaining safe data storage and transfer can reduce the risks connected with data breaches.

Collaboration and Information Sharing: The Scandinavian Airlines cyber assault emphasises the need for collaboration and information sharing among the cybersecurity community. Organisations should actively share threat intelligence, cooperate with industry partners, and stay current on developing cyber threats. Sharing information and experiences can help to build the collective defence against cybercrime.

Conclusion

The Scandinavian Airlines cyber assault is a reminder that cybersecurity must be a key concern for organisations and people. Organisations may improve their cybersecurity safeguards, proactively discover vulnerabilities, and respond effectively to prospective attacks by learning from this occurrence and adopting the lessons learned. Building a strong cybersecurity culture, frequently upgrading security practices, and encouraging cooperation within the cybersecurity community are all critical steps toward a more robust digital world. We may aim to keep one step ahead of thieves and preserve our important information assets by constantly monitoring and taking proactive actions.

Introduction

WhatsApp has become the new platform for scams, and the number of cases of WhatsApp scams is increasing daily. Just like that, a new WhatsApp scam has been started, and many WhatsApp users in India have reported receiving missed calls from unknown international numbers. Worse, one does not even have to answer the call to be scammed. A missed call is sufficient to be scammed.

Millions of populations switch from normal SMS to WhatsApp, usually, people used to get fake messages and marketing messages, but the trend of scamming has been evolving now.  Most people get calls from different countries, and they are concerned about how these scammers got the numbers. WhatsApp works through VoIP networks, so no extra charges from any country exist. And about 500 million WhatsApp users are getting these scam calls, the calls are mainly on job-scams of promising part-time employment and opportunities. These types of job scam calls have been started reporting in 2023.

People reporting missed calls from countries like Ethiopia (+251), Malaysia (+60), Indonesia (+62), Vietnam (+84), etc.

The agenda of these calls are still unclear. Still, in some cases, the scammers ask for confidential information from WhatsApp users, like bank details, so the users must not reveal their personal information. Also, it is important to note that if you get any calls from a particular country, it necessarily does not mean it is from that country. Various agencies sell international numbers for WhatsApp calls.

Why has WhatsApp become a hub scam?

The generation has evolved and dumped the old SMS into WhatsApp. From school to college and offices, people use WhatsApp for their official work, as it is very easy and user-friendly, so people avoid safety measures. Generally, users need to understand the consequences of technology and use it with safeguards and awareness. Many people lose money and become victims of scams on WhatsApp as they share their confidential information. And the worse is that one does not even have to answer the call to be scammed. A missed call is sufficient to be scammed.

Before these international calls scam, the user received a call from the scam that they were from KBC, and the user won something. Then sought confidential information by the excuse that they would transfer the money to the user, and because of that user got scammed by the scammers. These scams have risen rapidly lately.

Safeguards users can use against these scam calls

WhatsApp responds to complaints regarding international calls to “block and report.”

If you have already received such calls, the best thing you can do is report and block them right away. As a result, the same number does not return to your phone, and numerous identical reports may persuade WhatsApp to delete the number entirely.

WhatsApp is also working on an update allowing users to block calls from unknown numbers on the service.

Users must modify their phone’s and app’s fundamental privacy settings to protect themselves from data breaches. The calls are directed toward app users who are actively using the app. However, by modifying the account’s appearance, a user can lessen the likelihood of being added to the scammers’ attack lists.

Limit Privacy

Begin by modifying WhatsApp’s ‘who can see’ settings. If your profile photo, last seen, and online status are visible to anybody, restrict them to persons on your contact list only. Change the About and Groups options as well.

Turn on two-factor authentication

Enabling two-factor authentication on WhatsApp adds more security to your data. In addition, the app also supports biometric protection in case of theft or loss.

Active Reporting

The users should report as soon as they see something odd or suspicious activity.

A typical question that users have is, ‘Where do the scammers acquire my phone number from?’

The answer is a little more complicated than we thought. Your data is retained on the company database from the time you sign up on a website or reveal your phone number at a store in order to take advantage of promotional offers and promotions. Due to a lack of technological infrastructure and legislation to protect personal data, a scammer can simply obtain your information.

According to Palo Alto research, India is the second most vulnerable country in the APAC region in terms of cyberattacks and data breaches. A data protection law is essential in the face of increasing calls and data breaches.

The Digital Personal Data Protection bill is set to be introduced in the parliament’s monsoon session. The bill has the potential to protect data, which will help to eliminate scams.

Conclusion

Several people had tweeted on tweeter about receiving fake calls on WhatsApp from international numbers more than once. WhatsApp encrypts calls and messages, making it difficult to track the person, and it appears that hackers are taking advantage of this to swindle customers. If you receive a WhatsApp call from any of the above ISD codes, we strongly advise you not to answer it and to block the number so the bad actors do not call you again. Report & block immediately that’s what WhatsApp has been responding to the complainants.

Introduction

A recent massive scam has been uncovered in the Indian state of Gujarat, where the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has blacklisted 30,000 SIM cards that were used for illegal activities. The scam has created a huge uproar in the state, and its implications are significant. In this blog, we will discuss the details of the Gujarat scam and its impact on the state.

What is sim card fraud?

Sim card fraud occurs when someone uses a fake or cloned sim card to impersonate someone else. This allows the fraudster to gain access to sensitive information or conduct transactions on behalf of the victim. The use of fraudulent sim cards has become increasingly common in recent years, with scammers targeting individuals and businesses around the world.

The Gujarat Scam: The Gujarat scam involves the use of SIM cards for illegal activities such as extortion, blackmail, and cybercrime. The CID has identified that the SIM cards were obtained using fake documents and were used for illegal activities.  The scam has been happening for a while, involving several individuals, including businessmen, politicians, and government officials.

The CID has conducted raids across the state and has arrested several individuals involved in the scam. They have also seized a significant amount of cash, mobile phones, and other electronic devices used for illegal activities. The investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are expected in the coming days.

The Gujarat scam is not an isolated incident, as similar scams have been reported in other parts of the country. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has also reported that several telecom operators are not following the regulations and are not verifying the authenticity of documents used to obtain SIM cards.

Impact on the State: The Gujarat scam has caused significant damage to the state’s reputation, and it has also affected the economy. The scam has highlighted the lack of regulation in the telecom industry, and it has exposed the loopholes in the system that criminals are exploiting.

The blacklisting of 30,000 SIM cards will affect several individuals who may have obtained them legally but were unaware of their use for illegal activities. The blacklisting may also impact businesses that rely on mobile phones for their operations.

The scam has also raised concerns about personal information and data safety. With the use of fake documents to obtain SIM cards, it is evident that personal information is not secure and can be easily misused. The government needs to take steps to ensure that personal information is protected and that the telecom industry is regulated to prevent such scams from happening in the future.

Steps Taken by the Government: The Gujarat scam has prompted the government to take action to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. The government has announced that it will implement stricter regulations in the telecom industry to prevent the misuse of SIM cards. The government has also announced that it will introduce a system to verify the authenticity of documents used to obtain SIM cards.

The government has also urged citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to the misuse of SIM cards. The government has assured citizens that it will take strict action against those involved in the scam and that it will ensure the safety of personal information and data.

The TRAI has also taken steps to address the issue. It has directed telecom operators to verify the authenticity of documents used to obtain SIM cards and to follow the regulations. The TRAI has also introduced a new system to identify and deactivate inactive SIM cards.

Here are some key takeaways from the Gujarat Sim scam: These takeaways should be kept in mind to prevent such incidents from happening in the future and to ensure the safety of citizens and businesses.

Need for Stricter Regulations: The Gujarat Sim scam has highlighted the need for stricter regulations in the telecom industry. The government needs to ensure that telecom operators follow the regulations and verify the authenticity of documents used to obtain SIM cards. This will help prevent the misuse of SIM cards and illegal activities.

Importance of Personal Information Security: The scam has raised concerns about personal information and data safety. It is important to ensure that personal information is protected and that the telecom industry is regulated to prevent such scams from happening in the future.

Impact on Reputation and Economy: The Gujarat scam has caused significant damage to the state’s reputation, and it has also affected the economy. The blacklisting of 30,000 SIM cards will impact several individuals who may have obtained them legally but were unaware of their use for illegal activities. The scam has also raised concerns about the safety of businesses that rely on mobile phones for their operations.

Need for Vigilance: The government has urged citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity related to the misuse of SIM cards. It is important for citizens to be aware of the regulations and to report any illegal activities to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

Strong Action Against Criminals: The blacklisting of 30,000 SIM cards and the arrests made by the CID sends a strong message to those involved in illegal activities that they will not be spared. It is important for the government to take strict action against those involved in the scam to deter others from engaging in such activities.

Conclusion

The Gujarat scam has exposed vulnerabilities in the telecom industry and highlighted the need for stricter regulations to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. The blacklisting of 30,000 SIM cards has sent a strong message to those involved in illegal activities that they will not be spared. The government’s efforts to implement stricter regulations and ensure the safety of personal information and data are commendable. It is now up to the citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

The telecom industry plays a vital role in the country’s development, and it is important to ensure that it is regulated to prevent the misuse of its services. Overall, the Gujarat Sim scam has highlighted the need for stricter regulations, personal information security, vigilance, and strong action against criminals.

Reference:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/pre-activated-sim-cards-behind-phone-scamming/articleshow/98261346.cms

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/cid-blacklists-30000-sim-cards-used-to-con-1-27-lakh-gujaratis-of-rs-815-crore/articleshow/98259398.cms

Introduction

In todays time, we can access any information in seconds and from the comfort of our homes or offices. The internet and its applications have been substantial in creating an ease of access to information, but the biggest question which still remains unanswered is Which information is legit and which one is fake? As netizens, we must be critical of what information we access and how.

Influence of Bad actors

The bad actors are one of the biggest threats to our cyberspace as they make the online world full of fear and activities which directly impact the users financial or emotional status by exploitaing their vulnerabilities and attacking them using social engineering. One such issue is website spoofing. In website spoofing, the bad actors try and create a website similar to the original website of any reputed brand. The similarity is so uncanny that the first time or occasional website users find it very difficult to find the difference between the two websites. This is basically an attempt to access sensitive information, such as personal and financial information, and in some cases, to spread malware into the users system to facilitate other forms of cybercrimes. Such websites will have very lucrative offers or deals, making it easier for people to fall prey to such phoney websites In turn, the bad actors can gain sensitive information right from the users without even calling or messaging them.

The Incident

A Noida based senior citizen couple was aggreved by using their dishwasher, and to get it fixed, they looked for the customer care number on their web browser. The couple came across a customer care number- 1800258821 for IFB, a electronics company. As they dialed the number and got in touch with the fake customer care representative, who, upon hearing the couple’s issue, directed them to a supposedly senior official of the company. The senior official spoke to the lady, despite of the call dropping few times, he was admant on staying in touch with the lady, once he had established the trust factor, he asked the lady to download an app which he potrayed to be an app to register complaints and carry out quick actions. The fake senior offical asked the lady to share her location and also asked her to grant few access permissions to the application along with a four digit OTP which looked harmless. He further asked the kady to make a transaction of Rs 10 as part of the complaint processing fee. Till this moment, the couple was under the impression that their complaimt had been registred and the issue with their dishwasher would be rectified soon.

The couple later at night recieved a message from their bank, informing them that Rs 2.25 lakh had been debited from their joint bank account, the following morning, they saw yet another text message informing them of a debit of Rs 5.99 lakh again from their account. The couple immediatly understood that they had become victims to cyber fraud. The couple immediatly launched a complaint on the cyber fraud helpline 1930 and their respective bank. A FIR has been registerd in the Noida Cyber Cell.

How can senior citizens prevent such frauds?

Senior citizens can be particularly vulnerable to cyber frauds due to their lack of familiarity with technology and potential cognitive decline. Here are some safeguards that can help protect them from cyber frauds:

• Educate seniors on common cyber frauds: It’s important to educate seniors about the most common types of cyber frauds, such as phishing, smishing, vishing, and scams targeting seniors.
• Use strong passwords: Encourage seniors to use strong and unique passwords for their online accounts and to change them regularly.
• Beware of suspicious emails and messages: Teach seniors to be wary of suspicious emails and messages that ask for personal or financial information, even if they appear to be from legitimate sources.
• Verify before clicking: Encourage seniors to verify the legitimacy of links before clicking on them, especially in emails or messages.
• Keep software updated: Ensure seniors keep their software, including antivirus and operating system, up to date.
• Avoid public Wi-Fi: Discourage seniors from using public Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions, such as online banking or shopping.
• Check financial statements: Encourage seniors to regularly check their bank and credit card statements for any suspicious transactions.
• Secure devices: Help seniors secure their devices with antivirus and anti-malware software and ensure that their devices are password protected.
• Use trusted sources: Encourage seniors to use trusted sources when making online purchases or providing personal information online.
• Seek help: Advise seniors to seek help if they suspect they have fallen victim to a cyber fraud. They should contact their bank, credit card company or report the fraud to relevant authorities. Calling 1930 should be the first and primary step.

Conclusion

The cyberspace is new space for people of all generations, the older population is a little more vulnerble in this space as they have not used gadgets or internet for most f theur lives, and now they are dependent upon the devices and application for their convinience, but they still do not understand the technology and its dark side. As netizens, we are responsible for safeguarding the youth and the older population to create a wholesome, safe, secured and sustainable cyberecosystem. Its time to put the youth’s understanding of tech and the life experience of the older poplaution in synergy to create SoPs and best practices for erradicating such cyber frauds from our cyberspace. CyberPeace Foundation has created a CyberPeace Helpline number for victims where they will be given timely assitance for resolving their issues; the victims can reach out the helpline on +91 95700 00066 and thay can also mail their issues on helpline@cyberpeace.net.

Along with the loss of important files and information, data loss can result in downtime and lost revenue. Unexpected occurrences, including natural catastrophes, cyber-attacks, hardware malfunctions, and human mistakes, can result in the loss of crucial data. Recovery from these without a backup plan may be difficult, if not impossible.

The fact is that the largest threat to the continuation of your organization today is cyberattacks. Because of this, disaster recovery planning should be approached from a data security standpoint. If not, you run the risk of leaving your vital systems exposed to a cyberattack. Cybercrime has been more frequent and violent over the past few years. In the past, major organizations and global businesses were the main targets of these attacks by criminals. But nowadays, businesses of all sizes need to be cautious of digital risks.

Many firms might suffer a financial hit even from a brief interruption to regular business operations. But imagine if a situation forced a company to close for a few days or perhaps weeks! The consequences would be disastrous.

One must have a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in place that is connected with the cybersecurity strategy, given the growing danger of cybercrime.

Let’s look at why having a solid data security plan and a dependable backup solution are essential for safeguarding a company from external digital threats.

1. Apply layered approaches

One must specifically use precautionary measures like antivirus software and firewalls. One must also implement strict access control procedures to restrict who may access the network.

One must also implement strict access control procedures to restrict who may access the network.

2. Understand the threat situation

If someone is unaware of the difficulties one should be prepared for, how can they possibly expect to develop a successful cybersecurity strategy? They can’t, is the simple response.

Without a solid understanding of the threat landscape, developing the plan will require a lot too much speculation. With this strategy, one can allocate resources poorly or perhaps completely miss a threat.

Because of this, one should educate themselves on the many cyber risks that businesses now must contend with.

3. Adopt a proactive security stance

Every effective cybersecurity plan includes a number of reactive processes that aren’t activated until an attack occurs. Although these reactive strategies will always be useful in cybersecurity, the main focus of your plan should be proactiveness.

There are several methods to be proactive, but the most crucial one is to analyze your network for possible threats regularly. your network securely. Having a SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) solution in place is beneficial for SaaS applications, in particular.

A preventive approach can lessen the effects of a data breach and aid in keeping data away from attackers.

4. Evaluate your ability to respond to incidents

Test your cybersecurity disaster recovery plan’s effectiveness by conducting exercises and evaluating the outcomes. Track pertinent data during the exercise to see if your plan is working as expected.

Meet with your team after each drill to evaluate what went well and what didn’t. This strategy enables you to continuously strengthen your plan and solve weaknesses. This procedure may be repeated endlessly and should be.

You must include cybersecurity protections in your entire disaster recovery plan if you want to make sure that your business is resilient in the face of cyber threats. You may strengthen data security and recover from data loss and corruption by putting in place a plan that focuses on both the essential components of proactive data protection and automated data backup and recovery.

For instance, Google distributes all data among several computers in various places while storing each user’s data on a single machine or collection of machines. To prevent a single point of failure, chunk the data and duplicate it across several platforms. As an additional security safeguard, they give these data chunks random names that are unreadable to the human eye.^[1]

The process of creating and storing copies of data that may be used to safeguard organizations against data loss is referred to as backup and recovery. In the case of a main data failure, the backup’s goal is to make a duplicate of the data that can be restored.

5. Take zero-trust principles

Don’t presume that anything or anybody can be trusted; zero trust is a new label for an old idea. Check each device, user, service, or other entity’s trustworthiness before providing it access, then periodically recheck trustworthiness while access is allowed to make sure the entity hasn’t been hacked. Reduce the consequences of any breach of confidence by granting each entity access to only the resources it requires. The number of events and the severity of those that do happen can both be decreased by using zero-trust principles.

6. Understand the dangers posed by supply networks

A nation-state can effectively penetrate a single business, and that business may provide thousands of other businesses with tainted technological goods or services. These businesses will then become compromised, which might disclose their own customers’ data to the original attackers or result in compromised services being offered to customers. Millions of businesses and people might be harmed as a result of what began with one infiltrating corporation.

In conclusion, a defense-in-depth approach to cybersecurity won’t vanish. Organizations may never be able to totally eliminate the danger of a cyberattack, but having a variety of technologies and procedures in place can assist in guaranteeing that the risks are kept to a minimum.

References:

• https://www.comparitech.com/vpn/cybersecurity-cyber-crime-statistics-facts-trends/
• https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/data-security/
• https://www.ibm.com/in-en/topics/cybersecurity
• https://www.cybersecurityforme.com/what-is-the-future-of-cybersecurity/

[1] https://www.google.com/about/datacenters/data-security/

One of the best forums for many video producers is YouTube. It also has a great chance of generating huge profits. YouTube content producers need assistance to get the most views, likes, comments, and subscribers for their videos and channels. As a result, some people could use YouTube bots to unnaturally raise their ranks on the YouTube site, which might help them get more organic views and reach a larger audience. However, this strategy is typically seen as unfair and can violate the YouTube platform’s terms of service.

As YouTube grows in popularity, so does the usage of YouTube bots. These bots are software programs that may automate operations on the YouTube platform, such as watching, liking, or disliking videos, subscribing to or unsubscribing from channels, making comments, and adding videos to playlists, among others. There have been YouTube bots around for a while. Many YouTubers widely use these computer codes to increase the number of views on their videos and accounts, which helps them rank higher in YouTube’s algorithm. Researchers discovered a new bot that takes private information from YouTube users’ accounts.

CRIL (Cyble Research and Intelligence Labs) has been monitoring new and active malware families CRIL has discovered a new YouTube bot virus capable of viewing, liking, and commenting on YouTube videos. Furthermore, it is capable of stealing sensitive information from browsers and acting as a bot that accepts orders from the Command and Control (C&C) server to carry out other harmful operations.

The Bot Insight

This YouTube bot has the same capabilities as all other YouTube bots, including the ability to view, like, and comment on videos. Additionally, it has the ability to steal private data from browsers and act as a bot that takes commands from a Command and Control (C&C) server for various malicious purposes. Researchers from Cyble discovered the inner workings of this information breach the Youtube bot uses the sample hash(SHA256) e9dac8b677a670e70919730ee65ab66cc27730378b9233d944ad7879c530d312.They discovered that it was created using the.NET compiler and is an executable file with a 32-bit size.

• The virus runs an AntiVM check as soon as it is executed to thwart researchers’ attempts to find and analyze malware in a virtual environment.
• It stops the execution if it finds that it is operating in a regulated setting. If not, it will carry out the tasks listed in the argument strings.
• Additionally, the virus creates a mutex, copies itself to the %appdata% folder as AvastSecurity.exe, and then uses cmd.exe to run.
• The new mutex makes a task scheduler entry and aids in ensuring
• The victim’s system’s installed Chromium browsers are used to harvest cookies, autofill information, and login information by the AvastSecurity.exe program.
• In order to view the chosen video, the virus runs the YouTube Playwright function, passing the previously indicated arguments along with the browser’s path and cookie data.
• YouTube bot uses the YouTube Playwright function to launch the browser environment with the specified parameters and automate actions like watching, liking, and commenting on YouTube videos. The feature is dependent on Microsoft. playwright’s kit.
• The malware establishes a connection to a C2 server and gets instructions to erase the entry for the scheduled task and end its own process, extract log files to the C2 server, download and run other files, and start/stop watching a YouTube movie.
• Additionally, it verifies that the victim’s PC has the required dependencies, including the Playwright package and the Chrome browser, installed. When it gets the command “view,” it will download and install these dependencies if they are missing.

Recommendations

The following is a list of some of the most critical cybersecurity best practices that serve as the first line of defense against intruders. We propose that our readers follow the advice provided below:

• Downloading pirated software from warez/torrent websites should be avoided. Such a virus is commonly found in “Hack Tools” available on websites such as YouTube, pirate sites, etc.
• When feasible, use strong passwords and impose multi-factor authentication.
• Enable automatic software updates on your laptop, smartphone, and other linked devices.
• Use a reputable antivirus and internet security software package on your linked devices, such as your computer, laptop, and smartphone.
• Avoid clicking on suspicious links and opening email attachments without verifying they are legitimate.Inform staff members on how to guard against dangers like phishing and unsafe URLs.
• Block URLs like Torrent/Warez that might be used to propagate malware.To prevent malware or TAs from stealing data, keep an eye on the beacon at the network level.

Conclusion

Using YouTube bots may be a seductive strategy for content producers looking to increase their ranks and expand their viewership on the site. However, the employment of bots is typically regarded as unfair and may violate YouTube’s terms of service. Utilizing YouTube bots carries additional risk because they might be identified, which could lead to account suspension or termination for the user. Mitigating this pressing issue through awareness drives and surveys to determine the bone of contention is best. NonProfits and civil society organizations can bridge the gap between the tech giant and the end user to facilitate better know-how about these unknown bots.

Introduction

DDoS – Distributed Denial of Service Attack is one of the cyber-attacks which has been evolving at the fastest pace,  the new technologies have created a blanket of vulnerability for the victim which allows the cyber criminals to stay under the radar and keep launching small scale high intensity cyber attacks. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server, service, or network by overwhelming the target or its surrounding infrastructure with a flood of Internet traffic. DDoS attacks achieve effectiveness by utilizing multiple compromised computer systems as sources of attack traffic. Exploited machines can include computers and other networked resources such as IoT devices. From a high level, a DDoS attack is like an unexpected traffic jam clogging up the highway, preventing regular traffic from arriving at its destination.

Op Power Off

In a recent Operation by Law enforcement agencies known as Op Power Off, LEAs from United Kingdom, United States of America, Netherlands, Poland, and Germany joined hands to target the cybergroups committing such large-scale attacks which can paralyse the Internet become inaccessible for a large faction of netizens. The services collectively seized were by far the most popular DDoS booter services on the market, receiving top billing on search engines. One such service taken down had been used to carry out over 30 million attacks. As part of this action, seven administrators have been arrested so far in the United States and the United Kingdom, with further actions planned against the users of these illegal services.  International police cooperation was central to the success of this operation as the administrators, users, critical infrastructure, and victims were scattered across the world. Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre coordinated the activities in Europe through its Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce (J-CAT).

Participating Authorities

• United States: US Department of Justice (US DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• United Kingdom: National Crime Agency (NCA)
• The Netherlands: National High Tech Crime Unit Landelijke Eenheid, Cybercrime team Midden-Nederland, Cybercrime team Noord-Holland and Cybercrime team Den Haag
• Germany: Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), Hanover Police Department (Polizeidirektion Hannover), Public Prosecutor’s Office Verden (Staatsanwaltschaft Verden)
• Poland: National Police Cybercrime Bureau (Biuro do Walki z Cyber-przestępczością)

Issue related to DDoS Attacks

DDoS booter services have effectively lowered the entry barrier into cybercrime: for a fee as low as EUR 10, any low-skilled individual can launch DDoS attacks with the click of a button, knocking offline whole websites and networks by barraging them with traffic.  The damage they can do to victims can be considerable, crippling businesses financially and depriving people of essential services offered by banks, government institutions, and police forces. Emboldened by perceived anonymity, many young IT enthusiasts get involved in this seemingly low-level crime, unaware of the consequences that such online activities can carry. The influence of toolkits available on the dark net has made it easier for criminals to commit such crimes and at times even get away with it as well.

‍Recent examples of DDoS Attacks

• In February 2020, Amazon Web Services (AWS) suffered a DDoS attack sophisticated enough to keep its incident response teams occupied for several days also affecting customers worldwide.
• In February 2021, the EXMO Cryptocurrency exchange fell victim to a DDoS attack that rendered the organization inoperable for almost five hours.
• Recently, Australia experienced a significant, sustained, state-sponsored DDoS attack.
• Belgium also became a victim of a DDoS attack that targeted the country’s parliament, police services, and universities.

DDoS vs. DoS Attacks: What’s the Difference?

It’s important to avoid confusing a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack with a DoS (denial of service) attack. Although only one word separates the two, these attacks vary significantly in nature.

• Strictly defined, a typical DDoS attack manipulates many distributed network devices between the attacker and the victim into waging an unwitting attack, exploiting legitimate behavior.
• A traditional DoS attack doesn’t use multiple, distributed devices, nor does it focus on devices between the attacker and the organization. These attacks also tend not to use multiple internet devices.

Conclusion

In this era of cyberspace, it is of paramount importance to maintain digital safety and security equivalent to physical safety, the cybercriminals will not stop at anything and can stoop to any level to target netizens and critical infrastructures in order to commit ransomware and malware attacks. As we can see DDoS-ing is taken seriously by law enforcement, at all levels of users, and are on the radar of law enforcement, be it a gamer booting out the competition out of a video game, or a high-level hacker carrying out DDoS attacks against commercial targets for financial gain.

Introduction

Data Breaches have taken over cyberspace as one of the rising issues, these data breaches result in personal data making its way toward cybercriminals who use this data for no good. As netizens, it's our digital responsibility to be cognizant of our data and the data of one's organization. The increase in internet and technology penetration has made people move to cyberspace at a rapid pace, however, awareness regarding the same needs to be inculcated to maximise the data safety of netizens. The recent AIIMS cyber breach has got many organisations worried about their cyber safety and security. According to the HIPPA Journal, 66% of healthcare organizations reported ransomware attacks on them. Data management and security is the prime aspect of clients all across the industry and is now growing into a concern for many. The data is primarily classified into three broad terms-

• Personal Identified Information (PII) - Any representation of information that permits the identity of an individual to whom the information applies to be reasonably inferred by either direct or indirect means.
• Non-Public Information (NPI) - The personal information of an individual that is not and should not be available to the public. This includes Social Security Numbers, bank information, other personal identifiable financial information, and certain transactions with financial institutions.
• Material Non-Public Information (MNPI) - Data relating to a company that has not been made public but could have an impact on its share price. It is against the law for holders of nonpublic material information to use the information to their advantage in trading stocks.

This classification of data allows the industry to manage and secure data effectively and efficiently and at the same time, this allows the user to understand the uses of their data and its intensity in case of breach of data. Organisations process data that is a combination of the above-mentioned classifications and hence in instances of data breach this becomes a critical aspect. Coming back to the AIIMS data breach, it is a known fact that AIIMS is also an educational and research institution. So, one might assume that the reason for any attack on AIIMS could be either to exfiltrate patient data or could be to obtain hands-on the R & D data including research-related intellectual properties. If we postulate the latter, we could also imagine that other educational institutes of higher learning such as IITs, IISc, ISI, IISERs, IIITs, NITs, and some of the significant state universities could also be targeted. In 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Ministry of Education sent a directive to IITs and many other institutes to take certain steps related to cyber security measures and to create SoPs to establish efficient data management practices. The following sectors are critical in terms of data protection-

• Health sector
• Financial sector
• Education sector
• Automobile sector

These sectors are generally targeted by bad actors and often data breach from these sectors result in cyber crimes as the data is soon made available on Darkweb. These institutions need to practice compliance like any other corporate house as the end user here is the netizen and his/her data is of utmost importance in terms of protection.Organisations in today's time need to be in coherence to the advancement in cyberspace to find out keen shortcomings and vulnerabilities they may face and subsequently create safeguards for the same. The AIIMS breach is an example to learn from so that we can protect other organisations from such cyber attacks. To showcase strong and impenetrable cyber security every organisation should be able to answer these questions-

• Do you have a centralized cyber asset inventory?
• Do you have human resources that are trained to model possible cyber threats and cyber risk assessment?
• Have you ever undertaken a business continuity and resilience study of your institutional digitalized business processes?
• Do you have a formal vulnerability management system that enumerates vulnerabilities in your cyber assets and a patch management system that patches freshly discovered vulnerabilities?
• Do you have a formal configuration assessment and management system that checks the configuration of all your cyber assets and security tools (firewalls, antivirus management, proxy services) regularly to ensure they are most securely configured?
• Do have a segmented network such that your most critical assets (servers, databases, HPC resources, etc.) are in a separate network that is access-controlled and only people with proper permission can access?
• Do you have a cyber security policy that spells out the policies regarding the usage of cyber assets, protection of cyber assets, monitoring of cyber assets, authentication and access control policies, and asset lifecycle management strategies?
• Do you have a business continuity and cyber crisis management plan in place which is regularly exercised like fire drills so that in cases of exigencies such plans can easily be followed, and all stakeholders are properly trained to do their part during such emergencies?
• Do you have multi-factor authentication for all users implemented?
• Do you have a supply chain security policy for applications that are supplied by vendors? Do you have a vendor access policy that disallows providing network access to vendors for configuration, updates, etc?
• Do you have regular penetration testing of the cyberinfrastructure of the organization with proper red-teaming?
• Do you have a bug-bounty program for students who could report vulnerabilities they discover in your cyber infrastructure and get rewarded?
• Do you have an endpoint security monitoring tool mandatory for all critical endpoints such as database servers, application servers, and other important cyber assets?
• Do have a continuous network monitoring and alert generation tool installed?
• Do you have a comprehensive cyber security strategy that is reflected in your cyber security policy document?
• Do you regularly receive cyber security incidents (including small, medium, or high severity incidents, network scanning, etc) updates from your cyber security team in order to ensure that top management is aware of the situation on the ground?
• Do you have regular cyber security skills training for your cyber security team and your IT/OT engineers and employees?
• Do your top management show adequate support, and hold the cyber security team accountable on a regular basis?
• Do you have a proper and vetted backup and restoration policy and practice?

If any organisation has definite answers to these questions, it is safe to say that they have strong cyber security, these questions should not be taken as a comparison but as a checklist by various organisations to be up to date in regard to the technical measures and policies related to cyber security. Having a strong cyber security posture does not drive the cyber security risk to zero but it helps to reduce the risk and improves the fighting chance. Further, if a proper risk assessment is regularly carried out and high-risk cyber assets are properly protected, then the damages resulting from cyber attacks can be contained to a large extent.

Cyber attacks in India besides becoming common are also getting deadlier. Each strike has taken proportions to drive home the fact that no one is safe.

Hacker ‘John Wick’, hasn’t spared India’s PM or Paytm. Cyber intelligence firm Cyble which dredges the Dark Web has red-flagged hacking episodes at Truecaller, Dunzo, Unacademy, Naukri.com, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), LimeRoad and IndiaBulls.Picture this, Mumbai-based cybersecurity firm Sequretek, says in Covid-hit 2020, India has seen a 4000% spike in phishing emails and a 400% uptake in the number of policy violations that have grown over 400% as per the latest statistics.Besides the threat to crucial data, the cost suffered by companies is phenomenal. According to a report by IBM’s ‘Cost of a Data Breach Report 2020’ report, Indian companies witnessed an average $2 Mn total cost of data breach in 2020, this is an increase of 9.4% from 2019.

Another survey by Barracuda Networks revealed that 66% of Indian organisations have had at least one data breach or cybersecurity incident since shifting to a remote working model during the pandemic.

Indian Startups At Mercy Of Cyber Attacks

More recently personal data of 2.8 Lakh WhiteHat Jr students and teachers were exposed, where crucial details of minors have been made available on the dark web. Another major breach that took place this week and exclusively reported by Inc42 was when data of 1.4 Mn job seekers was leaked when jobs portal IIMjobs was hacked.

Vineet Kumar, the founder of Cyber Peace Foundation (CPF), a think tank of cybersecurity and policy experts, said that with the increased digitisation of companies and their processes, data has become the new oil.

“You get good money when you sell users data on the dark web. Hackers discovering vulnerabilities and using SQL injections to pull entire databases remains a common practice for hacking,” Kumar told Inc42.

The CyberPeace Foundation says from mid-April to the end of June it noticed 8,98,7841 attacks, July and August saw 64,52,898 attacks. Whereas September and October saw 1,37,37,516 attacks and 18,149,233 attacks respectively.

Speaking to Inc42, Pankit Desai, cofounder and CEO, Sequretek says, “Originally only a limited set of systems were being exposed, now with WFH all systems have to be exposed to the internet as all your processes are enabled remotely. WFH also creates an additional challenge where ‘personal assets are being used for professional purposes’ and ‘professional assets are being used for personal purposes.”

Malwares like SpyMax, Blackwater are being used as a combination of phishing mails and poorly secured home computers to harvest credentials. These credentials are then used for carrying out attacks. The number of attacks with harvested credentials is already up 30%, the company revealed.

Government data shows that in 2019 alone, India witnessed 3.94 lakh instances of cybersecurity breaches. In terms of hacking of state and central government websites, Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) data shows that a total of 336 websites belonging to central ministries, departments, and state governments were hacked between 2017 and 2019.

According to Nasscom’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI) report 2019, India witnessed the second-highest number of cyber attacks in the world between 2016 and 2018. This comes at a time when digitisation of the Indian economy is predicted to result in a $435 Bn opportunity by 2025.On September 22, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) told the Parliament that Indian citizens, commercial and legal entities faced almost 7 lakh cyberattacks till August this year.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has “reported 49,455, 50,362, 53,117, 208,456, 394,499 and 696,938 cybersecurity incidents during the year 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (till August) respectively,” the MeITY said while responding to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha regarding cyberattacks on Indian citizens and India-based commercial and legal entities.“

India also lacks a cohesive nation-wide cyber-strategy, policies, and procedures. Regulations around data privacy, protection, and penalty should be enacted and enforced as these measures will help businesses evaluate their cybersecurity posture and seek ways to improve. Currently, incident reporting is not mandatory. By making it compulsory, there will be a body of research data that can provide insights on threats to India and inform the government on strategies it can undertake to strengthen the nation’s cyber posture,” said Kumar Ritesh, founder and CEO, Cyfirma.The Internet Crime Report for 2019, released by the USA’s Internet Crime Complaint Centre of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has revealed that India stands third in the world among top 20 countries that are victims of internet crimes.

Kumar attributes these numbers to Indian’s lack of basic cyber awareness. However, a poignant point is also the lack of a robust cybersecurity policy in India.  Though the issue was touched upon by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech on Aug 15, 2020, not much movement has happened on that front.

“Cybersecurity is a very important aspect, which cannot be ignored. The government is alert on this and is working on a new, robust policy,” Modi said.The PM’s announcement was made in the backdrop of the government’s initiative to connect 1.5 lakh gram panchayats through an optical fiber network, thereby increasing the country’s internet connectivity.

With India pipped to take on the world with its IT prowess and increased digital integration the need for a robust policy is now more than ever.

‍Source: https://inc42.com/buzz/3-94-lakhs-and-counting-how-cyberattacks-are-a-worry-for-digital-india/