The terrifying rise of cyber theft has long replaced the traditional concept of robberies. In this era of information, one cannot isolate themselves form the internet; the lifeline in today’s world. So many people around us use the Internet and their computers for searching, emailing, online shopping, and online banking. This has made the personal computer/mobile a hub of everything you want to do ranging from reading, writing, communication, and entertainment. The device is readily available for every task you want to complete once you are connected with the Internet and it has made life easy and fast.
However, your PC or mobile is always open to constant cyber threats or attacks. Your computer/mobile is currently being targeted by criminal gangs looking to harvest your personal details and steal your money if you are connected to the Internet. Every one of us store our digital assets and personal files including photos, videos, resumes, financial information, and other valuable documents on our PCs.
Cyber criminals or hackers enter your PC by breaking Internet security protocols, if they are not strong enough, or by emailing you an infection. The moment you have clicked on a cleverly disguised attachment or visited an infected website, you have invited trouble. Once one infection has breached a computer, more will follow, with the original hacker selling on details to other criminals and installing more and more software to steal your personal details, passwords, private information, bank user name and passwords, and credit card numbers. The malicious software used to effect this sort of crime has evolved rapidly, from crude viruses that used to be easy to spot, to stealth programs that can sit on a PC, monitoring keystrokes and even intercepting communications between individuals.
Most cyber attacks are carried out to steal financial information and ultimately to get control of your bank account. The jackpot for a cyber criminal/hacker is your banking details. Once they get control of your PC and succeed in stealing your banking details, they often attempt to make money in any way they can either by selling your account details or exploiting a computer’s Internet connection for large-scale spam campaigns. But, they will always remain invisible so that they can remain in control for as long as possible. Once they have entered your PC, it will be your PC that will give you the first indication that your bank details have been stolen, it is your bank account that is being emptied silently.
Recent international targets, including the US Federal Reserve, the Central Bank of the Philippines and Qatar National Bank (QNB) in Doha, have all been subject to notable security breaches.
In May this year in a global cyber attack using hacking tools widely believed by researchers to have been developed by the US National Security Agency, crippled the UK’s NHS. It infected computers in 150 countries. More than 300,000 computers were infected while the countries most affected by WannaCry were Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine and India. The WannaCry ransomware locks computer systems and demands $300 in Bitcoin. Its impact continued to be felt across May. Around £33,000 in ransom have been paid to date, according to analysis of Bitcoin wallets.
A fundamental weakness is still our use of passwords, and the sheer number of websites that require one. Your email account, buying a plane ticket online, booking a hotel room online, signing up for a mailing list, playing an online game – to do all these requires a username and password.
Without a security layer between your computer and the Internet, you invite hackers to steal your information, destroy or copy your files, or use your PC to attack others.
By adopting the following preventative measures you can protect yourself from cyber attacks:
1) The single best step to help protect your computer and identity is to use up-to-date PC security software.
2) Never click on links in emails. If you do think the email is legitimate, whether from a third party retailer or primary retailer, go to the site and log on directly.
3) Never openunsecure attachments.
4) For e-mail, turn off the option to automatically download attachments.
5) Do not give out personal information in an email unless completely sure.
6) Set secure passwords and don’t share them with anyone. Avoid using common words, phrases, or personal information and update regularly.
7) Keep your operating system, browser, anti-virus and other critical software up to date.
8) Always keep your Fire Wall active; it continuously monitors your broadband, dial-up, or wireless Internet connection, preventing unwanted traffic to and from your PC.
9) Be wary of public Wi-Fi, it is nearly impossible to verify the operator of public Wi-Fi hotspots, like those found in hotels, airports and Internet cafés, that don’t require passwords.
All of above suggestions involve playing it safe in the cyber world. It’s useful to have a little healthy paranoia because you will reduce your risk of infection and data loss. If you practice day-to-day prevention, just as you maintain your health and home, cyber security can be simple, effective and as routine as brushing your teeth. Do always remember: hackers never sleep. They use tech innovations better than many of us.
The writer is based in Lahore and working as IT Manger for a medical facility
