Get ready for cyber crime on the phone
With the coming of 3G, the next wave of cyber attacks will be on the mobile phone, said cyber security expert Vijay Mukhi, at a seminar on the penultimate day of the Cyber Safety Week 2010 organised by the Mumbai Police.
With the coming of 3G, the next wave of cyber attacks will be on the mobile phone, said cyber security expert Vijay Mukhi, at a seminar on the penultimate day of the Cyber Safety Week 2010 organised by the Mumbai Police.
He was addressing an audience comprising travel industry members on the issue of E-commerce security at the Police Gymkhana, Marine Drive.
“Mobile phones will be the next computer and with the coming of 3G on handsets that will ensure faster Internet speeds on the go, the number of frauds too will go up,” he said.
In such a scenario it becomes all the more important for an Internet user to be aware of the ways in which fraud can be perpetrated online.
Nandkumar Sarvade, General Manager, Financial Crime Prevention Department, ICICI Bank Ltd talked about the need for different groups, such as banks, online travel agents, and the law enforcement to work together to make sure the online travel industry remains free from scams.
“The internet is now the dominating force for commerce and online security for the travel industry is important as the biggest frauds happen in this segment,” he said, referring to the Kingfisher Scam in 2005, which he referred to as a “watershed moment.” The national carrier was hit by a Rs 17 crore online fraud in which fake credit card numbers were used to issue online tickets between July 2005 and November 2006.
Commissioner of Police D. Sivanandan stressed the need for the travel industry to use technology to their advantage so they can be more vigilant of terrorists who travel under fake identities. If you are booking tickets online, it is essential to guard against identity theft, and validate the credentials of the online merchant. Users were also advised to upload anti virus and malware protection on their personal computers.
“All layers of authentication won’t work if someone can click on a link and get all the information (about you) online,” said Mukhi.