Building Digital Immunity

Jinal Maroo gives us a ringside view of prevalent cybercrime activities and recommends effective methods to safeguard our digital domain

- Jinal Maroo

The pandemic is finally behind us. And in its wake, it has taught us many lessons. One important lesson is to keep our physical immunity high at all times. But what about digital immunity? In today's world, where technology is all-pervasive, it too needs our immediate attention.

The last three years have seen a major surge in digital payments, with Indians having become more open to them. In fact, according to the Reserve Bank of India, comparing March 2022 to March 2019, digital payments have risen in volume and value by 216 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.

The change was more a matter of necessity rather than choice during the pandemic. That made the market hot for cybercrime because a lot of people were ill-informed about how to be safe in the digital world. RBI has been at the forefront, protecting gullible citizens. Amitabh Bachchan, as their ambassador since September 2020, has been sharing important tips such as never sharing your password or OTP.

Yet, the magnitude of the problem is increasing day by day.

Over 16 lakh cybercrime incidents have been reported in the country in the last three years (2020-2022). A study by NortonLifeLock finds that around 62 per cent of Indians have faced online shopping scams during the 2022 festive season. This made me reflect on my own experiences. Thankfully, I have only near-misses to report!

The latest was an SMS supposedly from the BEST, informing me that my electricity bill was overdue and my power connection was in danger of being disconnected unless I settled my dues. A trip to the BEST office and a meeting with an enlightened official put my fears to rest. He exclaimed, "Madam, BEST SMSs do not come from mobile numbers." He was spot on; that was clearly a smishing attempt.