Information Security Awareness @ abysmal low in India

Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts were horrific, with scores of people loosing up their lives.
“In the name of Allah the Indian Mujahideen strike again! Do whatever you can, within 5 minutes from now, feel the terror of Death!” said an e-mail from the group sent to several Indian television stations minutes before the blasts began.

E-mails have been the preferred communication medium for the radical elements for some time now. The anonymity that web offers is unmatched & thus the trend is likely to continue in the near future as well. The Investigating agencies traced the e-mail to an American couple living in Mumbai, who deny their alleged role in sending terror mails. All leads pretty much suggest that the Wi-Fi Network was penetrated into by radicals to masquerade their identity.

The American couple was running an Open Wireless Network in their house which was potentially exploited. If you run an Open Wireless Network which houses an Internet connection, you are inviting disaster.Breaking into open wireless networks is as sniffing them up & connecting to them.

[Open Wireless Network running in my neighborhood]

The Information security awareness among Web users in India leaves much to be desired. Expecting an average home user to be a Security expert would be too much to ask for. But, learning the basics of Internet security should be a priority for everyone owning an Internet connection. After all, Don’t people safeguard their houses, cars & other assets ? Then, Why not their IT assets? Give it a thought….

Configuring MAC Address security, Enabling Encryption, Disabling SSID broadcast, Disabling DHCP doesn’t make you immune to Attacks on your Wireless Networks. Thwarting the attempts of a determined hacker is really hard but enabling security on your networks would safeguard you from more casual attempts…..

Advertisement