CHENNAI: The internet is a powerful tool filled with a plethora of benefits, but there are also many dangers like the seemingly-harmless pop-ups or websites that can be fatal to your identity and security. How many of us really know how to protect ourselves from these threats? We speak to Sathish Kumar Balakrishnan, cyber safety expert, at an event held by AWARE, to know more about system and mobile safety. During his second year of engineering studies, Sathish Kumar almost fell for a money scam and realised far too late what was going on. This triggered his interest in such scams perpetrated through technology, and chose a career as cyber researcher in private company which trained him in this field. He answers a few FAQs on cyber security:
Is net banking safe? Can we save our card credentials in online shopping websites?
If the website is not well-designed, yes, hackers can hack, gain access into details of all accounts on the website, and even know your CVV number. Most banking websites are well-protected, but there are some general tips you can follow while net banking — Always use the Incognito tab, so that no cookies or passwords are saved. Never open your net banking website when multiple tabs are open (to prevent cross-origin hacking).
How important is it to close a laptop webcam?
In case your laptop or computer has been compromised, hackers can access your webcam and see everything in front of the camera without you noticing anything different (they can switch off the red light indicator too). This is possible even if you have switched off the webcam. It’s always advisable to put an opaque tape on the webcam.
Is it safe to have any social media or email account open on multiple devices?
Definitely not. In fact, it is better to log out every time, and not save password even in your own home system. Most social media accounts have two-factor authentication. Facebook has a ‘three-trusted contacts’ option in the Settings.
Tips for good unbreakable passwords?
Never use your name, birthday and loved ones’ names, which can be easily found. Use complicated but easy to remember passwords — For example, use patterns on your keyboard. You can have the same password across all accounts, but change just one letter respective to each account. (For Amazon: aqwertyuiopn, for Facebook: fqwertyuiopk)
Risks or dangers of using public open WiFi?
It’s easy to track all your data in public Wifi by using simple tools. It’s better not to use it unless you really need to. Apps like WhatsApp have end-to-end encryption which means your data can’t be read, so that’s fine. But most websites aren’t end-to-end encrypted. Best to avoid net-banking or transfers.
What are some of the ways in which we get hacked easily, and how can we avoid them?
Principally, a hacker needs to know your IP address if he wants to hack your system. This can easily be done by sending you a link through any tool — and if you click on it, he can get access to your IP address and thus compromise your system by sending malware. For instance, when you have FB open on a tab and are doing something else, a pop-up comes up saying ‘Facebook logged out. Please re-enter credentials to log-in’. Do not enter your ID and password! The pop-up could be sent by a hacker.
How do I know whether a website is legitimate or not?
Check if the ‘http’ suffix is there in the website, as well as the green lock symbol which denotes ‘safe’. Also you can check website domain details by going to websites like ‘www.whois.net’ — which will give details like date of creation, date of expiry, etc.
For details or queries, reach out to Sathish on 9840969548
GENERAL TIPS
Always have a separate email account for websites, downloading some softwares, movies etc. Instead of using the same email ID which has all your personal details like banking, social media etc.
Don’t download unnecessary apps or open unknown links. This is so common, yet so many people still do it
Read ‘Terms and Conditions’ before agreeing to anything
Don’t save or write your passwords anywhere on your system
If you’re giving your phone to strangers, keep a close watch on what they do with it. It takes just two minutes for anyone to hack into your phone.