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Cyber Attack - I'm watching you!!

Lately, we have been hearing and experiencing(some) quite a lot of cyber attacks and internet slow-downs. This brings us to a debatable question - "How secure is your data online?" There may be thousands of theories, stating that there is nothing to worry about when you use your Credit Card or do a Net Banking online, at the same time there are thousand others which would state otherwise.
So here I'm, trying to shed some light on the following:
  1. Bazooka attack(latest news)
  2. List of Best Web Browsers
  3. List of Anti Virus Softwares(Of course, I'm talking only about the freeware ;-))
  4. Simple Reckoner for internet safety while browsing.(Do read this!)
Bazooka Attack:
What a dashing name, Bazooka! Any idea as to what it means? It means, "rocket launcher". Pretty heavy stuff, I must say.

This attack is described as one of the most powerful cyber attacks ever seen and this has slowed traffic on the Internet. The following is from a daily:
The attack targeted Spamhaus, a Geneva-based volunteer group that publishes spam blacklists used by networks to filter out unwanted email, and led to cyberspace congestion that may have affected the Internet overall, according to Matthew Prince of the US security firm CloudFlare. The attacks began last week, according to Spamhaus, after it placed the Dutch-based Web hosting site Cyberbunker in their blacklist, which claimed it was unfairly labeled as a haven for cybercrime and spam. Investigation is going on.

Instead of attacking the customers directly, they started going after the network providers and hence the attack is very powerful and invasive. Although the aftereffects are felt in European countries, some of Asian countries got a glimpse of this attack as well. In the first half of this week, if you had tried to access a particular site, you might have got a "Webpage down" or "Page cannot be displayed" error. Although there is no confirmed news as to, if the issues faced by Indian users are because of "under water cable cut" or "bazooka attack", some still experienced the jitter. Anyways, that is about the Bazooka attack. So let's move on to the next topic.

Top 5 Web Browsers(2013):
  1. Google Chrome
  2. Mozilla Firefox
  3. Internet Explorer
  4. Opera
  5. Safari
Top 5 Free Anti Virus(2013):
  1. Avast Free Antivirus
  2. AVG Free AntiVirus
  3. Ad-Aware Free Antivirus+
  4. Avira Free Antivirus
  5. Microsoft Security Essentials
TIPS: There is one other BEST ANTI VIRUS and that is COMMON SENSE :-)

Ready Reckoner:
I pay all my bills online, I'm sure you do too! So when a famous daily reports the following "Security flaws identified in online banking, credit card data transfer because of a weakness in protocol" , I can feel a lump in my throat! And again, I'm sure the feeling is mutual!
So how do we avoid being vulnerable to such attacks? Read on:
  • Get a damn good Web Browser.
  • Install a near-perfect Anti Virus software - (payware or freeware, doesn't matter guys! Just keep it up to date.)
  • Do not loiter around unknown or not-so-familiar sites, try controlling the urge ;-)
  • Never open the attachments from unknown mails(Even if the mail is from RBI!)
  • Never send Credit Card details via open e-mails. There are lots of free encryption tools available online, go for it.
  • Change password periodically.
  • Opt for one-time password option while doing net-banking transaction(every time you make a payment online, a password is sent to your registered mobile). Also opt for 3D secure password for extra authentication.
  • Never ever make online payment in a cyber cafe. It is as good as, you mailing your password directly to the hacker. :-)
  • When you type your card credentials online, use Virtual Keypad on your bank's homepage instead of your Physical Keyboard. Since virtual Keypad uses only mouse clicks, instead of key press, it is pretty safer.
  • When you make online payment, look for a lock symbol on the page/address bar and also check to make sure that the web address starts with "https://” rather than “http://” which indicates that encryption(SSL - secure sockets layer) is being used. Also several authentic sites hosted by banks, govt sites, consumer product sites ...etc, the address bar turns green when you login which shows they are genuine sites.
  • Use Credit Card instead of Debit Card while making online payments.(Guys, nowadays banks are giving free platinum/titanium credit cards, so go grab one for yourself)
  • Close the browser after successful payment. And if you have time, do clear the cache after every transaction.
Hope this helps. If you have any other points to share, be my guest!

Image Courtesy: somewhere from internet

Comments

  1. Beena.stephyMarch 28, 2013 at 8:42 AM

    Very informative post Pavithra. Thank u for sharing..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Divya PramilMarch 28, 2013 at 9:21 AM

    But there is one other BEST ANTI VIRUS and that is COMMON SENSE :-) This is the best point I loved :) Keep rocking well written and creates a good awareness for online roamers :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RMarch 28, 2013 at 9:25 AM

      HaHa!! Thanks a lot, Dhivya!
      I know, I have to bring something funny or blunt into every topic I write, and that one is for today ;-)
      I'm glad you enjoyed reading!!

      Delete
  3. Sanjay VermaMarch 28, 2013 at 10:12 AM

    Nice to see an informative tech. write-up for common internet users.

    As a common internet user, I agree with the given advice, though have a few points to make.
    1. For antivirus, my personal preference is MS security Essential (especially for win7)
    2. Changing password... or having difficult password (minimum 8 or more strong alphanumeric + minimum 1 special character + minimum 1 capital letter etc. etc.) ... I extremely dislike restrictions or forced changing of passwords, which I encounter mainly in my office as well as on banking or few other sites (including google). Well such tactics results, me keeping all passwords in a portable diary, which I know is quite unsafe..... but such tactics leave me with no choice.

    Sorry, my personal views only.......

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RMarch 28, 2013 at 6:45 PM

      Thanks Sanjay!! Yes, the idea is to simplify the safety tips for the users/readers and detail only the necessary and the basic steps to enjoy browsing without having to compromise data.
      1)MS Security essential is in the top 5 and I'm using that for the past 8 months and never had any issues per se, but MS does not block or mark a site as potential risk, that is one of the reasons it looses out to others!! Take AVG, you browse for a string, even in the first search page, it would detail which site would harm the PC. And the algorithm that goes into say Avast or AVG is pretty good in weeding of some specific viruses. And hence the ranking.
      If we use internet judiciously then we need not go for any big time Anti viruses, MS should suffice.
      2)I totally agree with password change. Everybody gets pissed off at work because of having to change password every 2 to 3 months, but end of the day, that is saving us from fishing or hacking attack , We better do it then feeling sorry later, I guess.
      I maintain a mini notebook for passwords just like u, but only I will be able to make sense of the password, because I kinda encrypt(manually) it by using some known letters and numbers randomly in between every password I save, so when i need i know what to weed off :-)

      Delete
    2. Sanjay VermaMarch 29, 2013 at 11:09 AM

      Regarding anti-virus you would be knowing more..... but as a user, my experience is that AVG makes internet experience slow and MS is quite smooth and surely has not failed me since last summer. Offcourse, I am a judicious net user :)

      And for password keeping, yes, human encryption is the answer :) but I dont have that much confidence on my memory (for the encryption key) :)

      Delete
    3. Pavithra RMarch 29, 2013 at 7:20 PM

      You are right when talking about slowing down the internet experience, but they are heavy components, so it comes with its own problems. But MS is good as well, i never had any problem either.
      I like the term "Human Encryption" :-)

      Delete
  4. ChitzMarch 29, 2013 at 3:45 PM

    Nice post.. Informative & very very useful.. Must keep in mind for the more techy internet savvy for us..

    ReplyDelete
  5. Neela RufusMarch 31, 2013 at 7:59 PM

    Love your blog! I'm happy to follow you, you can visit my blog when you find time :)
    http://kitchenista-welcometomykitchen.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pavithra RApril 1, 2013 at 4:20 AM

      Thanks Neela!!
      I just visited your space, you are an amazing cook. I especially loved Bunny Bread Rolls!! OMG, looking at those bunnies, just made my day :)
      Happy to follow u too.

      Delete
  6. Nilu AJuly 2, 2013 at 4:02 AM

    Very useful safety points for browing net especially for bloggers like us.. Loved the tip:- There is one another anti-virus and that is Common Sense.. Thanks for sharing Pavithra:-)

    ReplyDelete

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