If AIIMS Servers Can Be Hacked, How Safe Are You from Online Frauds?

Hackers attacked AIIMS servers with ransomware recently, and now another hospital¡¯s computer systems are under threat.

State-sponsored hackers from other countries are a strong possibility.

Who hasn¡¯t heard the story of someone having lost thousands to an online fraud?

Unsplash/Representational image

When we hear about them, what do we think? We believe it won¡¯t happen to us, because we¡¯re careful.

Are we really? Here¡¯s my own example.

I once received a friend request on FB from a lady who was too stunning to ignore. Her profile picture showed a scantily clad figure worthy of a model, and a smile to make Cleopatra jealous. She was from Australia and lived in Europe. An adventurous extrovert, she was single, fond of outdoors, and liked mature men!

I admired all her pictures, while, with great effort, I held back my eager hand from clicking the ¡®Accept¡¯ button. I knew, hiding behind the beautiful profile was a scamster, waiting to defraud me with an international tale of money and romance, where I was to play James Bond to help this gorgeous girl, and get rewarded in cash and kind.

That someone, even a potential swindler, thought I was worthy of a honey-trap, was gratifying enough at my age.

But Bond likes his Martini with lemon¡ªshaken, not stirred; and I take my tea with sugar¡ªstirred, not shaken!

So, being humbly and painfully aware that I¡¯m nowhere near Bond in looks or coolness quotient, I resisted the temptation.

More followed, on different media, and I stayed aloof with the meditative dedication of a mythological sage unperturbed by the seductions of heavenly Apsaras.

@Avinash Chikte

Then came the job opportunities, offering 30,000 rupees per hour working from home, in USD. I resisted that temptation too.

Despite repeated forwards on various groups, I never clicked any link offering anything free on any product¡¯s anniversary.

Then began text messages about my having won ?25 Lakh in a lottery I had never bought a ticket for. I just had to click the link.

@Avinash Chikte

@Avinash Chikte

I didn¡¯t click. Instead, I replied:

@Avinash Chikte

Another one came the next day. This time I showed interest, but the fraudster didn¡¯t respond because I didn¡¯t click the link.

@Avinash Chikte

@Avinash Chikte

Then someone duplicated my FB account and begged for money. A friend sent me this screenshot.

@Avinash Chikte

I reported the breach, and warned my FB friends, which invited many jibes about my trying to borrow measly 20K!

But recently, I fell into the trap. Not because of temptation, but by trying zealously to guard my cyber safety.

In the middle of a busy morning, I saw an email warning me of a hacking attempt. I do not own an iPhone, so, without reading any more, I clicked the link to report the user.

@Avinash Chikte

Please notice how I¡¯ve taken care to hide my email address in the screenshot above. Shows how careful I normally am, but even then, they trapped me.

Luckily, it didn¡¯t work because I was on my phone, and the link was likely designed to hit desktops, which is why the page didn¡¯t load.

@Avinash Chikte

My son later warned me that clicking such links could download and install a keylogger on the laptop, which would track all keyboard strokes and send them to hackers.

There are many such scams that one can look up online and prepare against.

In brief, here are some dos and don¡¯ts.

1. Use complex passwords and change them often, especially if you suspect or notice any hacking attempts.

2. Never share your OTP with anyone.

3. Use two-step authentication where available.

4. Do all major bank transactions from a laptop or desktop that has antivirus protection.

5. Keep only ?2,000 in the account linked to online payments from the mobile phone.

6. Do not click any link from an unknown source.

7. If any sweet-talking woman says she has transferred money to you by mistake and asks you to transfer it back, just thank her, equally sweetly.

8. When anyone comes to deliver a parcel which you did not order, and they ask you to click a link to activate the return process, say No. Then offer to take their photo and see them vanish.

9. Understand that if anyone is offering anything free, there¡¯s bound to be a catch.

10. Don't be tempted, even if the person sounds sincere or the amount is large.

As the sayings go, ¡®If anything is free, it is you!¡¯ and ¡®If it is too good to be true, it is!¡¯

Do you know who first created a computer virus? Two brothers in Pakistan, in 1986. They began early!

The hackers who target hospitals and companies may also be moonlighting or getting on-the-job training by starting small, attacking individuals like you and me.

There¡¯s a song by Harry Belafonte which goes thus:

I wonder why nobody don¡¯t like me; Or is it a fact that I¡¯m ugly?

On similar lines, I could ask:

I wonder why everybody targets me; Or is it a fact that I¡¯m silly?

You may or may not agree, though my wife certainly will.

But the fact remains, I¡¯ve not lost any money to fraudsters yet.

So shouldn¡¯t you.

Remember, God comes in many forms, but he or she is unlikely to come in the form of a text message, offering bountiful benevolence.

Beware! Be safe.