“Cyber Security and Privacy is not only essential for our personal information but also for our life as its misuse could lead to vulnerable consequences.”
Introduction
As our country (India) is becoming digital day by day so in today's time, every work is being done online whether it is the Government, any Company, payment transfer, etc. even if we put security locks then also, data theft and all types of data exchange is taking place in one or the other way and the user’s devices like - computers, servers, laptops, mobile phones or any other type of smart device that is connected to internet gets hacked or their privacy gets infringed which the owners sometimes don’t even know about and because of all these things, the threat is also increasing on the security of our data, where fraud, hacking and data leaking are the things which are constantly being tried on the internet on a daily basis. All these activities are monitored by Cyber Security and because of all these things, they provide a security shield.
Cyber Law
The Information Technology Act, 2002, which contains cyber laws, is one of the most essential things that has been added. So, mainly the purpose of making this Act was to provide a legal recognition to electronic commerce and also, to facilitate the essential electronic records to the Government. The Information Technology Act was came into force on 17 October, 2000.
The term Cyber Security refers to security on the internet to save our data from hacking or any type of fraud. It takes place, when one gets access to a website or anybody's device. The level at which the internet is being used all over the world and the number of internet users, both are constantly increasing. That’s why, there’s a great need to reduce Cyber Crime and strengthen Cyber Security. The security of data of hardware and software through the Internet is increased so that no one can steal the information.
To prevent cybercrime in our country, there is also Cyber Police which makes every effort to stop cybercrime occurring in the internet world. The police of cybercrime collect all kind of information and try to find out the offender.
There is a concept called Cyberspace which is an area where the government of any nation can be terrorized without any bloodshed. Those who spread terror through cyberspace can extract important details from the computer and use it to threaten and disrupt services. Cyber terrorists can damage the network using new communication technology, tools and methods. Along with hacking, computers can be massively infected with viruses. Not only this, they can also affect in important E-mails, policies and strategies of the Government.
Measures to save yourself from Cyber Crime
· For any type of banking transaction, use your personal computer or laptop only.
· Whenever you login to your internet banking or any important account, do not forget to logout your account after finishing the work.
· If you use the Internet on your computer, first of all, protect your personal computer with a password.
· Do not reply to any spam e-mail or unknown emails. Never open attachments or click on links provided in the mails.
· If a popup opens on a website and offers you with some type of attractive gift or with any reward then you should not fill any of your personal information or bank account number or any information related to the bank.
· You can use strong passwords and make sure that your social media account is always private and you can use trusted antivirus in your devices. Also, keep your device and software updated.
Cyber Laws in India
Penalties range from 20,000 to 1,000,000 for different offenses mentioned in section - 65, 66, 66B, 66C, 66D, 66E, 66F, 67, 67A, 67B, 67C, 68, 69, 70 and 71 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and also, provided with an imprisonment which vary from 3 to 5 years.
Types of Cyber Security
There are various types of Cyber Security, some of them are listed below: -
1. Network & Gateway Security: It can be called the first layer of the network whose incoming and outgoing traffic is controlled and attacks coming into the network are prevented. It mainly consists of a Firewall.
2. Application Security: There should be no loopholes in the development and in the installation phase of an application used in the network. The application has to go through a security process in which installation password and user rights etc. can be imposed.
3. Data Loss Prevention (DLP): This process enhances the security of data in which there is no risk of data theft or leaking i.e. the data is completely encoded.
4. Network Access Control (NAC): It is a secured process to connect to the network, in which the policy is made according to the user and his network rights are limited.
5. Antivirus & Anti Spyware Software: It is very important to have antivirus software in the computer, which can prevent from virus damage.
6. Email Security: Email Security for the prevention of email threats, tools are used such as Spam Filters, hardware or software.
Along with all these security layers, it’s very important for an internet user to follow certain rules and regulations such as securing the account with a strong password and not opening unknown email.
Types of Cyber Attacks
1. Malware: Malware contains all kinds of malicious software such as Spyware, Ransom ware, Virus and Worms. In a computer or network, most of the main sources of threat are Links and Email Attachments in which if a user clicks, then the software or script runs, after which the user's control on the computer goes away and all the services related to the network are blocked and Spyware starts transmitting data.
2. Phishing: In this, emails are sent to the users in the name of respected institutions and personal information is asked such as necessary information for a debit card or credit card and this has become a common thing these days.
3. Man in the Middle: In MITM Attack, communication between any two people is manipulated by the attacker, i.e. the attacker has control of the communication between the two, which the authorities have no idea and all important information reaches the attacker.
4. Zero-Day: Hacker targets loopholes of a software which the publisher has no idea about. The software is completely manipulated by hackers before Patch is removed.
Apart from all these Cyber Security attacks, there are even more type of threats which can harm an internet user.
CONCLUSION:
Now-a-days, Cyber Security is stronger in terms of detecting a person who commits fraud and cheat another person. It is always advised to all businessmen and individuals also to always file complaints against these kinds of fraud and illegal practice so that any strict action can be taken against them which will help in reducing Cyber Crime rate.
Authors: Kanishka, Heena Sharma & Vaishali Sharma
Sources: legalserviceindia.com & mondaq.com
Pictures: cs.njit.edu, bytebacklaw.com & internetsociety.org