INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The headlines have become increasingly alarming
Young professionals losing tens of thousands of rupees; retired folk losing life savings, all to criminals who drew them in with the promise
of a quick buck.These days, cyber security or information securityis widely regarded as one of the core elements of Information Technology,
Every year, tech firms spend tens of millions of dollars to implement safeguards and protect information of users
But like nature, crime too finds a way
Welcome tosocial engineering
Simply put, it refers to tactics deployed by online crooks to steal personal data and it includes creating curiosity, fear or a sense of
Victims were asked to perform minor tasks for money
But the scamsters also asked these people to deposit small fees to get started
Initially, the victims received payments for the tasks, which helped build trust
They went on to wire the crooks more cash
By the time many realised it was a scam, they had lost substantialsums
These employees joined online forums and communities that ultimately led them to malicious actors, who understood the workers were eager to
earn and in many cases, ignorant
The moonlighting workers found themselves being dragged deeper into a scam, unable to quit.Now, many companies have incorporated cyber
security awareness as one of the focal points in employee training
But of late, cyber training has shifted from genuine awareness sessions to the completion of mundane and mandatory tasks that employees are
This has led to ignorance instead of cognizance of social engineer-ing techniques
And as a result, we have highly skilled corporate employees losing lakhs of rupees to online crooks.AI is likely to worsen this problem,
giving malicious actors new ways to heighten curiosity and anxiety
Imagine a deepfake video of yourself on social media
We need to find effective ways to reach out to the majority
