Beware of cyber risks!

Nizamabad: On the occasion of declaration of October as 'Cyber Month' by the Department of Women's Safety, Hyderabad, Nizamabad Police Commissioner KR Nagaraju organised a webinar conference on Cyber Crimes at Giriraj Government Degree College, Nizamabad on Saturday under the auspices of Nizamabad She Team organised Deputy Commissioner of Police V Arvind Babu was the chief guest of the event.

V Arvind Babu speaking on the occasion asked people to be vigilant against crime. He informed that if you have been cheated by cybercrimes, you should call the cyber toll-free number 1930 and complain.

V Arvind Babu said that the 21st century is the century of technology. Humankind is surrounded, affiliated and associated with various devices that were unknown to people even a decade ago. In today's fast-changing world, life seems incomplete without technological tools in hand.

Undoubtedly, one cannot become isolated from technology completely, because of the benefits it delivers. But simultaneously, technology and the internet pose a serious threat to its users. Hacking, the influx of viruses and cyberbullying are common nowadays. The internet is no longer secure and neither are its users. Children are bullied, accounts are hacked and information is stolen. A dilemma is created.

At one end are the innumerable benefits the internet gives and on the other end are its potential dangers. Children are even more vulnerable to these dangers as they randomly click on sites, download and update.

Is there a way to shield from the hazards while enjoying the advantages? Let me discuss some of the precautions taken while using the internet, which can help increase your security.

Use trusted websites

Whenever you need to seek information, be it for a school project, a syllabus topic or any other purpose, try clicking on known and authentic websites such as BBC, Wikipedia and Bing.

Some websites display information for the purpose of stealing the information of the user. When you click on them, they can get your private information, such as passwords. These websites are usually low-rated and poorly designed. Similarly, some websites ask your permission to 'accept cookies' and often, we just click on it. Remember that cookies can track the data of users, including the websites they previously visited, their on-site behaviour, such as scrolling speed and their IP addresses. Cookies can also store passwords! Thus, it is advised that we should not accept cookies present on websites.

Avoid too many 'online' friends

This guidance is specifically for children and young adults. Hypocrisy is prevalent in society; everyone who looks and appears friendly might not actually be. Often, we receive 'friend requests,' from unknown users appearing to be of our age. Dear readers, you need to exercise caution in this regard. It is very easy to hide one's real identity on the internet. Someone who looks as if he is your friend might be a criminal aiming to harm or use you in some way. Someone who is your follower might be tracking every detail you post!

The reality of cyberspace is frightening. Evil is very dominant and children are one of its favourite and easiest targets. Do not be too 'social' on social media apps and websites, or you might be spotted by these bullies. Never accept 'follow requests' and 'friend requests' from strange and unidentified accounts, no matter how appealing they may look. Restrict your friends list to your school friends, neighbours and cousins, and those that you and your family know well.

Accepting requests randomly to increase followers is an undesirable approach. Furthermore, do not post private information on your social media accounts, such as 'going to Islamabad', 'Leaving alone for a hike', 'Spending the night with friends'. These details might be precious for these bullies or bad guys and they may exploit you by using them.

Download only from authentic sites

I believe that one of the main reasons why viruses enter any device is due to downloading virus-containing materials from the internet. This risk is not too dominant in cell phones because apps are mainly downloaded from Play Store or iOS.

But in laptops, many applications are downloaded from websites, which inject viruses into the computer. It is suggested that applications should be installed from official websites. For example, if you want to download a game, check its original developer and download it from the developer's website.

Sometimes, unknown websites offer installation of games and software on our laptops. Though the download does occur, they bring with them a bundle of viruses. Viruses usually slow down the working of devices. Hence, if your laptop is slow to respond, it might have been victimised by a virus!

Secure your accounts

We handle our social media accounts responsibly and carefully browse the internet, it is possible to fully shield ourselves against cyber risks. Every time you are active on the internet, remember that there are eyes that are seeing every action that you take and waiting for an opportunity to attack and harm you. So be vigilant, be careful, stay secure and enjoy cyberspace!

On the occasion, CCRB CI D Pratab, She Team SI Abdul Rasheed, Anti Human Trafficking Unit SI Venkataiah, She Team Staff Nagaraju, Srikanth, Ishwar, Rekha Rani, Haritha Rani and Giriraj College students participated.