Cyber Safety: A Skit by Students

Hacking by Gauri, VIII D

 

Hacking is unauthorized access to a computer or a network. A hacker is a person who is competent in computer operating systems and netwoks who can exploit the vulnerabilities in a computer system or network to get in to it and make changes. Normally, anyone who attacks a computer or a network is called a hacker.

Hackers usually target computers connected to the internet. They can break the computer security and can cause damage to the computer and steal your personal information.

A person doing something illegal with a computer belonging to someone else without asking a permission of the owner is also called a hacker.

The computer hackers are generally categorised into three

• White hat hackers
• Black hat hackers
• Grey hat hackers

These categories are based on the motivation of the hacker and whether they are breaking the law.

White Hat Hackers

They are also known as "ethical hackers". White hat hackers are specialists who work as security specialists for companies -they may be an employee or may be doing freelance work.

White hat hackers are also experts like the black hat and use the same technology and tools to achieve it. The exception is they do it with the permission of the owners and they do it for good purposes like to find out the vulnerabilities of the system. It is highly paid job and there are many courses to learn ethical hacking.

You may find many tutorials on hacking online, but if you are trying to learn hacking remember it is illegal to do so on some one else's computer/networks without their consent.

Grey Hat Hackers

Grey hat hackers are a blend of both blak hat and white hat hackers. What they do is they hack in to systems/networks without the owners permission looking for vulnerabilities in it. If they find any issues they will report the same to the owner and may charge a fee for reporting or even fixing the issue. 

Though they may not have malicious intention and may not exploit the vulnerabilities they find, this is also illegal as they are doing it without the knowledge or permission of the owner(s) of the system.

Black Hat Hackers

They are the bad ones. Their objective is personal or financial gain. Black hat hackers are involved in cyber espionage (spying) and commit cyber crimes. Some of the do it just for the fun on achieving the taks, others steal vital personal data like your login credentials. At the higher levels they steal the security informations of a country, destruct the computer networks, birng down the services of a website 

Computer Safety Tips by Vishal Krishnan, IX B

Mobile Security Tips

Secure your Device: Secure your mobile with a strong password or fingerprint detestion. Change any default passwords on your mobile device to ones that would be difficult for someone to guess. Use different passwords for different programs and devices. Do not choose options that allow your device to remember your passwords. Set the password lock time also very short - 30 seconds.

Keep software and the device up to date. Install updates for apps and your device’s operating system as soon as they are available. Do not ignore the friendly popups reminding you to update your mobile and the applications. Keeping the software on your mobile device up to date will prevent attackers from being able to take advantage of known vulnerabilities.

Disable remote connectivity after Use. Some mobile devices are equipped with wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth, that can connect to other devices. Disable these features when they are not in use. Turn them on when you need them and only connected to trusted networks.

Think Before you Post. Before posting photos or messages to the social media, think. Think whether it is required, is it something that reveals your personal information and whether it will harm someone 

Take Care. Always keep your mobile locked. Do not leave your  mobile unattended in a public place. Do not hand it over to strangers. If it is really required to hand over the phone to someone, use the second space/guest mode feature available in most smart phones.

Learn More about Your Apps. Learn more about the apps you have installed on your mobile. Read the reviews and see the permissions required before installing them.  Be aware that apps may request access to your location and personal information. The permission asked by the application should be something required for its proper functioning. Also do not install third-party apps. If it is really needed, do some research before installing it.

Be Cautious about Public Wifi. We all want to save our data and will be happy to access internet through a public Wifi. If you are using it, do not use it for transmitting any sensitive information.

Take a Backup. Take a back up of your data regularly. You can use the cloud services to backup or connect to your pc to backup contact list, important photos, videos, documents and other information.

Anti-virus and Anti-malware: Having a good antivirus or antimalware can help you to prevent any damage if you happen to download some malicious content unknowingly