latest hacking allegedly by Legion which hacked Twitter accounts

New Delhi : The latest hacking allegedly by Legion which hacked Twitter accounts of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Congress party among others, has once again brought the focus on digital security and security of digital transactions in the country. The hackers group also hacked twitter accounts of senior NDTV journalists Barkha Dutt and Ravish Kumar, businessman Vijay Mallya and announced that the Indian Parliament website sansad.nic.in was their next target.
Initially the Legion hacking attempt was dismissed as political stunt to make their point against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation drive and push for digital transactions to create a cashless society. However, within a week’s time came another series of high-profile hacking. It raised serious questions over the security of all digital transactions that we do every day. The hacking group finally come out in the open claiming that the data which they have, if released, might create “chaos” in India.
As claimed, the next target of its members is sansad.nic.in, the Indian parliament site. Over an encrypted chat interview, Legion said, “Next is a dump of sansad.nic.in emails. Which is — quite big. It includes a lot of _BIG FISH.”
As more and more Indian shift to online platforms for transactions, the series of online attacks on the Twitter handles and other accounts only prove that all the digital information can be accessed and morphed. Though cyber crime is increasing every day but it is definitely something we can prevent.
Here is a list of some basic tips on how to secure your online transactions in everyday life:
Have a secured mail account
Do not skip the ‘make your account secure’ step. All the verification processes such SMS verification and specific security questions are usually layers of information known only to you intended to tightly secure your account.
Lock your account with a strong password
For this, the first and foremost rule is: Don’t re-use your passwords. Lock your accounts with unusual sentences. Make sure your password is not one of the most popular passwords, a list released by the ESET Threat Blog. Using a mixture of lowercase, uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters will make your password strong and a little more complicated to crack. Never share it with anyone, keep it confidential. DO NOT save it in your mails or Facebook and keep changing your passwords.
Do not react to suspicious mails
Beware of mails about possible attacks to hack your account. The mail could be spam. Always look for the signs such as bad grammar or a click-on link to change your password. Spam mails also include emails that promise lottery, prizes, love etc.
Be careful if you are using a cyber cafe
Never EVER click on ‘keep me logged in’ when you login into your account. Don’t forget to log out when you are done with your work at cyber cafes.
Check carefully before you download apps
Do an extensive research before downloading apps onto your phone. Check their ratings and reviews and if you are downloading the official version of the app.
Unsecured Wi-Fi, a big NO
Secure your home Wi-Fi with a strong password which only you and your family know. Never use a hotspot if you are out.