Cyber frauds have become a big menace. The fraudsters are using innovative methods to defraud gullible citizens. The Senior Citizens are the worst victims. Online transactions are becoming universal for all. Taking precautions is the only option.

The Government has taken initiatives to educate the users on the best practices that must be followed to protect them from different cyber security attacks and cyber threats. The precautions as initiated by CERT-In  (The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) concerning Data Security and Password Management are as follows;

Data Security:

• Encrypt sensitive data to protect it from unauthorized access.
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security to your accounts.
• Be cautious when working with sensitive information in public places or on shared devices.
• Avoid using easily guessed or common passwords. Use different passwords for different accounts.
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi to do secured transactions. Use strong passwords to lock your devices.

Password Management:

• Use Strong and long passwords: Always prefer to create lengthy passwords. Short-length passwords are easy to crack.
• Don’t use dictionary words as passwords: Such passwords are too easy to crack. Dictionary words are vulnerable to brute-force attacks by hackers.
• Create passwords using special characters: Passwords mixed with uppercase, lowercase, numerals and special characters are difficult to crack.
• Change passwords periodically: Avoid using guessable patterns of passwords.
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication: MFA adds another layer of security to your accounts.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is a Government Organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India established to secure Indian cyberspace. CERT-In provides Incident Prevention and Response services as well as Security Quality Management Services. It is observing the National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) in October 2024 by organizing various events and activities for citizens as well as the technical cyber community in India with the theme of “Secure Our World” and “Cyber Surakshit Bharat” and hashtag #SatarkNagrik.

Source: The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)