The current COVID pandemic,
besides threatening our very life, has thrown a fresh set of challenges. One of
them is: Cyber frauds. With the lockdown, people, staying at home have become
more dependent on various payment gateways to pay their utility bills,
premiums, recharge their mobiles, buy medicines, groceries and vegetables online,
etc. Such increased online activities have opened door for spyware and ransom
ware attacks. And these attacks are sure to cause huge losses to individuals
Another
development during the lockdown is our accessing social websites such as
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc more frequently; watching movies and serials
on Netflix, Amazon, HotStar, etc., and even playing online games by installing
various applications. In the process of availing these services, people tend to
give access to their personal information that is readily available on their
mobiles, laptops, etc. Many a time, in the process of purchasing apps to access
these services, financial information too is shared.
Banks, which
are now working with skeleton staff, are advising customers to use internet
banking/mobile banking services. Besides making phishing calls/sending phishing
mails, with the RBI granting a moratorium by deferring payment of EMIs/interest
payments, etc., cyber attackers are reported to be active in calling such
loanees posing as bank employees and in the course of discussions relating to
rescheduling of instalments, etc., subtly asking for passwords, OTPs, PIN
relating to their accounts.
Another
important development during the lockdown is that many people have started working
from home. Which means, accessing companies’ systems and data from home. So,
any let-up on the part of the employees expose their company’s data to
risk.
The current pandemic has thus thrown open wide
scope for online frauds. The only safeguard we have against these cyber
attackers is our Password. And that is what the seventh May, designated
as the ‘World Password Day’ reminds us, while also stressing the fact that how
important it is for online users to strengthen their security posture by
adopting good online practices to protect their own interests from cyber risks.
For, “a password is the primary method used to
confirm the identity of a user to gain access to a wealth of platforms and
personal information”, says BSI authorities. They are the gatekeepers to our
digital identities. They allow us to access our online accounts to do shopping,
banking, etc. So, cultivating good
password habits is the sine quo none for protecting one’s data, property
and business.
We are
today operating a diverse set of accounts. Thus, the need for passwords to secure
safe access to a diverse set of accounts has grown up phenomenally. The common
tendency among us is to set a single password for the whole set of accounts. And
that is the biggest risk one gets exposed to. If a malicious person gets to know this
password through phishing emails or by any other means, he would get
unauthorized access to all the accounts and with that unlimited access he could
inflict unlimited loss to the original account holder. Should the same password
be used on personal as well as office/work account, the risk would be even
more.
So, to stay
safe online, one needs to select a unique and complex password for different
accounts differently, so that they cannot be guessed or cracked easily by the
criminals. Some of the guidelines issued by experts for designing a strong
password are listed hereunder:
· Passwords should contain a minimum of ten characters comprising
uppercase and lowercase letters as well as numbers and special characters — a good
password is a long password
· One should not use personal information
such as a part of an address, a surname, a spouse’s name, date of birth or the
name of the platform the password is being created for, etc
· Do not use a word that would be in the dictionary
or letters that are sequential on a keyboard.
· Consider using a ‘passphrase’ that does not make any sense and will not
be forgotten easily, of course, with a mix of characters
· Never use the same password across multiple
accounts and add where possible multi-factor authentication and/or biometrics
· Always ensure to access a platform online through a secure connection
and refrain from auto saving passwords when prompted
·
Do not write down a
password on a device or in a notebook.
· To keep online
identity safe and secure, it is desirable to keep changing passwords at regular
intervals. Also, never use the same password ever again.
As incidents of
hacking and cybercrime are rising with every passing day, everyone is obviously
worried of safety and security. And today many of us are active for most of the
time on the internet. So, to keep ourselves safe, what we must learn on this World
Password Day is to strengthen the passwords.
0 comments:
Post a Comment