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Introduction :
Internet is considered as the greatest platform and
technology in this century and has become an
Chapter : 12 integral part of our daily lives. It helps us as a
learning and communication tool and offers us a

Cyber Safety
wide range of opportunities. It is an invaluable
source of knowledge and encourages creativity
and imagination. Internet ethics imply our
behavior while using it for different purposes.

However, there is a flip side to everything. As

information infrastructure and internet become
Made By :
more complex and larger, it has also become
SATISH MAMNANI critical to maintain systems up and running all the
1 time with respect to security. 2

We should be aware of this and should always be Cyber Safety refers to the safe and responsible
honest, respect the rights and intellectual use of internet to ensure safety and security of
property of others on the web. personal information and not posing threat to
information available about others online.
CYBER SAFETY :
To be cyber safe, there are several strategies
“Cyber Safety” is the safe and responsible use of
which can be adopted to prevent unwanted
information and communication technology. It is
computer behavior. These are as follows :
not only about keeping information safe and
secure but also about being responsible with that Safely Browsing the Web :
information, being respectful of other people We can ensure our safety while browsing the web
online, and using good ‘netiquette’ (internet by following the tips described below :
etiquette). (1.) Before we start : Update the software :
It is a branch of computer technology that is Protect yourself before we start browsing the web
applied to networks and corresponding by making sure that our operating system, web
computers. browser, security software and other applications
3
are up – to – date. 4

(2.) Protect our web browser :  Use strong unique passwords online.
We can adjust the settings in our web browser to  Only download files and applications from
work in a more or less secure way. Some websites that we trust, such as from official
functionality might be limited when using the most app stores or legitimate organizations, such as
secure settings, but they can provide the best the banks etc.
protection from malicious content.  Pause and think before clicking on links in
Most web browsers give us warnings when they emails, messages or on social networking
detect us visiting a malicious website or possibly sites. Don’t click on links in messages if we
being exposed to malicious content. Pay attention don’t know the sender or if the message is
to these warnings. They can help protect us from unexpected.
malware, phishing and identity theft.  If a link looks suspicious or we can’t tell where
(3.) Observe safe online behaviour : it leads to, before clicking, look over that link to
We should observe the following measures when see the actual web address it will take us to. If
browsing the web to significantly reduce our risk we do not trust the address, try searching for
of being a victim of cyber crime : 5 relevant key terms in a web browser. 6

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 Beware of offers that seem too good to be true.  If the website looks suspicious or we have
Leave websites that ask for our personal or doubts, do not proceed.
banking details in return for money since these  Malware can be delivered through malicious
are scams. advertising (known as malvertising). Using an
ad blocker can stop malware from being
(4.) Online transaction handling : delivered through the browser. Some browsers
While making purchases online : include an Ad Block feature. Avoid using public
computers or Wi – Fi hotspots to access or
 Check if the site is reputed and has a refund
provide personal information. Don’t use online
policy.
banking or make payments with credit cards
 While making payments, check that we are using public computers or Wi – Fi.
using a secure connection. The URL of a
(5.) Cookies and security :
secure payment page will use ‘https’ instead of
‘http’ and a padlock icon will be displayed by Cookies are small text files i.e. bits of information
the browser. – left on our computer by websites we have
7 visited which let them ‘remember’ things about us.8

Websites use cookies in order to gather Identity Protection While Using Internet :
information about their visitors. Cookies may also Identity theft is a type of fraud that involves using
be used to store our preferences and settings for someone else’s identity to steal money or gain
particular websites which means our experience other benefits. Online identity theft refers to an act
can be customized based on our past behavior. of stealing someone’s personal information such
as name, login details, credit card details etc and
(6.) Bookmark important sites : then posing as that person online. The intent is to
If there are sites we visit regularly, it’s good idea use that identity for personal gain, generally with
to bookmark them in our browser. A mistyped the intent to cheat others.
address could take us to a false site that mirrors To be safe from this, we should follow “Private
the site we intended to visit, but with malicious Browsing” or “Anonymous Browsing” on internet.
code that can harm our computer and A type of browsing wherein the browser opens in
compromise our information. Bookmarked incognito mode or through proxy or VPN (Virtual
addresses take us to the same site every time. Private Network), and does not store cookies, is
9
called private browsing. 10

Identity theft occurs when someone, without our When we share our IP address on network with
knowledge, acquire a piece of our personal other device, a website can determine our
information and uses it to commit fraud. geographical location.
Ways of tracking our identity :
Whenever we access or visit a website, our web (2.) Cookies and Tracking Scripts :
browser may reveal our location through our Cookies are small text files on our computer
device’s IP address. It can also provide our search storing small piece of information related to our
and browsing history which can be used by online text. They can identify us and track our
people like advertisers or criminal who intend to browsing activity. Cookies are of two types :
use it for some personal gains. In other words,
websites track us through various methods as
(a.) First Party cookies :
described below :
These are cookies that store our own login id,
(1.) IP Address :
passwords and auto fill information etc for some
It is a unique address of our device when we websites that we frequently visit.
connect to the internet. 11 12

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(b.) Third Party cookies : (4.) Super Cookies :

Cookies that websites store to know about our These are persistent cookies, i.e. they come back
search history and web browsing history so as to even after being deleted. They store cookie data in
place advertisements as per our interests are multiple places, for example : in flash cookies,
known as third party cookies. Silverlight storage, our browsing history and
HTML5 local storage etc.
(3.) ‘http’ referrer :
It is an ‘http’ header field that identifies the (5.) User Agent :
address of the web page ( i.e. the URL ) that links Our browser also sends a user agent every time
to the resource being requested by the user. By we connect to a website. This tells websites about
checking the referrer, the new web page can see our browser and operating system, providing
where the request originated and can pass our another piece of data that can be stored and used
details such as IP address, our email id, to target ads.
passwords etc to these linked sites.
13 14

Ways of Tracking One of the most common threats to confidentiality

our Identity nowadays is “Password Hacking” in online money
transaction systems.
NOTE :
IP Cookies and HTTP Super User
Confidentiality of information ensures that only
Address Tracking Scripts Referrer Cookies Agent authorized users get access to sensitive and
protected data.
Methods of Tracking Identity Confidentiality of our important information can
be maintained by observing the following points :
Confidentiality of Information : 1.Prevention by encrypting the data and by
Confidentiality is the term used to prevent the limiting the places where it might appear.
disclosure of information to unauthorized 2.Using firewall wherever possible.
individuals or systems. 3.Controlling browser settings to block tracking.
Data should be kept secret. The owner of data has
4.Browsing privately wherever possible.
to decide who can access the data and who can’t.15 16

5. Taking care while posting on Social media. Cyber criminals may use computer technology to
6. Ensuring safe sites while entering crucial access personal information, business trade secrets
information. or use the internet for exploitative or malicious
purposes. Criminals can also use computers for
7. Ensuring that the address contains HTTPs and
communication and document or data storage.
a padlock sign. Criminals who perform these illegal activities are
8. Carefully handling emails. often referred to as hackers.
9. Not giving sensitive information on wireless Cyber crime is also referred to as “Computer
networks. Crime”.
10. Avoiding use of public computers. NOTE :
CYBERCRIME : Any criminal act that is facilitated by the use of
Cybercrime is defined as a crime in which a electronic gadgets such as computer, smartphone,
computer is the object of the crime (hacking, laptop etc. involving communications or information
phishing, spamming) or is used as a tool to commit systems through internet is referred to as
an offence (child pornography, hate crimes). “Cybercrime”.
17 18

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Types of CYBERCRIME : Types of Cyber Bullying :

(1.) Cyber Trolls : • Posting any kind of humiliating content about
A Cyber Troll is a person who starts quarrels or the victim.
upsets people by posing inflammatory and • Hacking the victim’s account.
digressive, extraneous or off – topic messages to an • Sending or posting vulgar messages online.
online community (such as newsgroup, forum, chat • Threatening to commit acts of violence.
room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers
• Stalking by means of calls, messages etc.
into displaying emotional responses and
normalizing tangential discussion, whether for the • Threats of child pornography.
troll’s amusement or for a specific gain.
(2.) Cyber Bullying : (3.) Cyber Stalking :
Cyber bullying is the attack upon an individual or Cyber stalking is the use of internet or other
group through the use of electronic means such as electronic means to stalk or harass an individual,
instant messaging, social media, email and other a group of individuals, or an organization.
forms of online communication with the intent to
19 20
abuse, intimidate or overpower.

It may include the making of false accusations or Through such fake profiles, they post false
statements of facts (as in defamation), monitoring, information and spread rumors or comments which
making threats, identity theft, damage to data or may hurt others and result in quarrels and
equipment, the solicitation of minors for sometimes even result in communal fights.
objectionable activities, or gathering information Cyber Forensics :
that may be used to harass somebody. Cyber forensics is an electronic discovery technique
used to determine and reveal technical criminal
(4.) Spreading Rumors Online : evidence. It often involves electronic data storage
extraction for legal purposes. Cyber forensics is
With the widespread use of social networking
also known as “Computer forensics”.
sites, people think that they can post anything and
IT ACT 2000 :
everything on these sites by creating fake email
IDs and masking their actual identification and The Information Technology Act, 2000 (also known
believe that they will never be caught. as ITA – 2000 or the IT Act) is an Act of the Indian
Parliament (No. 21 of 2000) notified on 17 October
2000.
21 22

It is the primary law in India dealing with It also introduced penalties for child porn, cyber
cybercrime and electronic commerce. terrorism and voyeurism. It was passed on 22
The original Act contained 94 sections, divided December 2008 without any debate in the Lok
into 13 chapters and 4 schedules. The laws apply Sabha.
to the whole of India. Persons of other Appropriate Usage of Social Media :
nationalities can also be indicted under the law if The term social media refers to web and mobile
the crime involves a computer or network located technologies and practices that people use to
in India. share content, opinion, experiences and
perspective online.
A major amendment to this Act was made in 2008. Social networking sites can support participation,
It introduced Section 66A which penalized sending collaboration and community building and prove a
of “offensive messages”. It also introduced useful resource for team – based projects,
Section 69, which gave authorities the power of particularly those involving joint problem –
“interception or monitoring or decryption of any solving.
information through any computer resource”. 23 24

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The use of social networking sites can extend to (b.) Twitter :

peer mentoring, informal student interaction Twitter is an online news and social networking
around specific projects, online discussion and site where people communicate in short
collaboration, promotion of events, and pooling of messages called “tweets”. Tweeting is sending
resources. short messages to anyone who follows us on
Some of the prominent social media platforms Twitter, with the hope that our messages are
are: useful and interesting to someone in our
(a.) Facebook : audience.
Facebook is a social networking website where
users can post comments, share photographs and (c.) YouTube :
post links to news or other interesting content on YouTube is a video – sharing service where users
the web, chat live and watch short – form video. can watch, like, share, comment and upload their
Social network services are primarily used for own videos. The video service can be accessed
socializing with existing friends. on PCs, laptops, tablets and via mobile phones.
25 26

(d.) LinkedIn : • Don’t give or post any personal information.

LinkedIn is a social network for the business • Never give out your password to anyone except
community. Founded in 2003, the online site is a your parent or guardian.
place for professionals to connect with past and • When you are choosing a social networking
current colleagues, increase their number of site, privacy issues should be considered.
business connections, network within their • Only add people as friends to your page if you
industry, discuss business ideas, search for jobs know them in real life.
and look for new hires.
• Delete any unwanted messages, inappropriate
(e.) BloggingSites : comments and immediately report those
A Blog (shortening of “weblog”) is an online comments to the networking site.
journal or informational website displaying • Care about the share : Social media wants us to
information in the reverse chronological order, share as much as we can, but “but never share
with latest posts appearing first. It is a platform your passwords, private / personal information,
where a writer or even a group of writers share your location, etc.”. Always use strong
their views on an individual subject. 27
passwords that are difficult to guess. 28

• Privacy Matters : Regularly check your privacy • Be aware of Spams : It is the modern version of
settings on social media and always think junk mails. Learn the difference between real
before posting because it spreads all over the mails and messages and dodgy things with
internet. dodgy links. Always be suspicious of emails
• Respect privacy of others : Ask your friends’ with hyperlinks.
permission before uploading their photos and
videos. • Cyber Bullying and harassment : If you are
• Keep everything updated : Most security targeted by this kind of behavior, you must
breaches on the internet happen as the software know what to do and where to get help. Visit
is not up – to – date. Be vigilant about updating “National Centre Against Bullying Website” and
software like apps, anti – viruses and the “Office of Safety”.
browsers.
• Keep your friends close and strangers at arm’s • Control the troll within : Don’t feed the trolls
length : Never accept friend requests from what they want, i.e. an angry response. Block /
strangers. 29 Report the trolls. 30

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Network Security Threats : (1.) Denial of Service ( DoS ) Attack :

A threat refers to anything that has the potential to DoS attacks are those attacks that prevent the
cause serious harm to a computer system. A legitimate users from accessing or using
threat is something that may or may not happen, resources and information. These types of attacks
but has the potential to cause serious damage. may eat up all the resources of the system and the
computer attains a halt state. The various “Denial
Threats are potentials for vulnerabilities to turn of Service” attacks are :
into attacks on computer systems, network and
more. They can put individuals, computer systems  Denial of Access to Information : Corrupting,
and business computers at risk. Therefore, encrypting or changing the status of information
vulnerabilities have to be fixed so that attackers so that it is not accessible to its legitimate user.
cannot infiltrate the system and cause damage.
Network security measures are needed to protect  Denial of Access to Application : Forced
data during their transmission and to guarantee shutting of an application as soon as the user
that data transmissions are authentic. 31
opens it. 32

 Denial of Access to Resources : Blocking a Though varied in type and capabilities, malware
resource, may be a printer or scanner or USB port usually has one of the following objectives :
of a computer, preventing the computer from • Provide remote control for an attacker to use an
working properly. infected machine.
• Send spam from the infected machine to
 Denial of Access to a Website : Continuously unsuspecting targets.
sending bulk requests to a website so that it is not • Investigate the infected user’s local network.
available to any other users. • Steal sensitive data.

(2.) Malware : Rules to be followed while working on social

Malware (short for “malicious software”) is a file networking sites :
or code, typically delivered over a network, that • Cyber Bullying : Cyber bullying is the use of
infects, explores, steals or conducts virtually any technology to tease, humiliate, threaten and
behavior an attacker wants. harass someone.
33 34

• Stranger Danger : Stranger danger is the danger (4.) Worms : Self – replicating viruses that
to children and adults, presented by stranger. exploit security vulnerabilities to automatically
• Digital Footprint : This is used to describe the spread themselves across computers and
trail, traces or “footprints” that people leave networks. Unlike many viruses, worms do not
online. attach to existing programs or alter files. They
typically go unnoticed until replication reaches
a scale that consumes significant system
(3.) Viruses :
resources or network bandwidth.
Program that copy themselves throughout a
computer or network. Viruses can only be
activated when a user opens the program. (5.) Trojans : Malware disguised in what
appears to be legitimate software. Once
At their worst, viruses can corrupt or delete data,
activated, Trojans will conduct whatever action
use the user’s email to spread or erase everything
they have been programmed to carry out. Unlike
on the hard – disk.
viruses and worms, Trojans do not replicate or
35
reproduce through infection. 36

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(6.) Zombie Computers and Botnets : “Botnets” (short for “robot network”) are often
used to spread email spam and launch Denial – of
In Computer Science, a “zombie” is a computer – Service attacks. Most owners of zombie
connected to the internet that has been computers are unaware that their system is being
compromised by a hacker, computer virus or used in this way.
trojan horse and can be used to perform malicious (7.) Spyware :
tasks under remote direction. Malware that collects information about the usage
of the infected computer and communicates it
Zeus, Koobface, TidServe, Monkif, Hamweq, back to the attacker.
Swizzor, Gammima etc. are a few examples of (8.) Phishing :
Zombie computers that have been used for Phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive
Distributed Denial – of – Service ( DDoS ) Attacks, information such as usernames, passwords and
Spam, Phishing, Information Theft and distributing credit card details ( and sometimes, indirectly ,
other malware. money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity
37 in an electronic communication. 38

Phishing often occurs through emails and instant Eavesdropping attacks are difficult to detect
messaging and may contain links to websites that because they do not cause network transmission
direct the user to enter their private information. to appear to be operating abnormally.
These fake websites are often designed to look (10.) Child Pornography :
identical to their legitimate counterparts to avoid Child Pornography is publishing and transmitting
suspicion. obscene material about children in electronic
(9.) Eavesdropping : form. In recent years, child pornography has
An eavesdropping attack, which is also known as increased due to easy access to the internet and
“sniffing” or “snooping” attack, is an incursion easily availability of videos on the internet. Child
where someone tries to steal information that pornography is the most heinous crime which
computers, smartphones, or other devices occurs and has led to various other crimes such
transmit over a network. An eavesdropping attack as sex tourism, child abuse etc.
takes advantage of unsecured network Child pornography laws provide severe penalties
communications in order to access data being for producers and distributors in all the countries.
sent and received. 39 40

Safeguards for students : 3. Set some internet rules pertaining to websites

1.Never give address to people who you do not a child is allowed to access.
know. 4. For a cost, obtain an identity theft program that
2.Never publish your personal information on protects your computer’s privacy.
public sites / social networking sites.
3.The best safety option on facebook is the “only Tips for educators :
friends” option. 1. Teach students the importance of keeping their
4.Do not open suspicious emails. personal information private.
2. Monitor the websites that students have
Tips for parents : access to.
1.Talk with your children about the importance of 3. Teach students the dangers of viruses and
keeping personal information private. opening suspicious emails.
2.Inform them about identity theft and how they
can prevent it from occurring. 41 42

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Network Security Solutions : Safely Communicating Data – Secure Connection:

A secure connection is a connection that is
1.Never open or download a file from an encrypted by one or more security protocols to
unsolicited email / website. ensure the security of data flowing between two or
2.Keep your operating system updated. more nodes. When a connection is not encrypted,
it can be easily listened to by anyone and is even
3.Use an authentic antivirus program.
prone to threats by malicious software and rogue
4.Enable two – factor authentications whenever and unexpected events.
available.
Secure connections, as they are supposed to
5.Confirm the authenticity of a website prior to protect data being transferred from one computer
entering login credentials. to another, must be able to do three main tasks :
6.Look for HTTPS in the address bar when you 1.Prevent third parties from getting hold of
enter any sensitive personal information on a confidential data.
website to make sure your data will be encrypted.
2.Validate the identification of the person first who
43 wishes to access and exchange data. 44

3 Protect information from being viewed or • To protect customer data – health – care
altered by unknown parties. companies, business in the legal and financial
sectors, tax advisors and private banking.
Firewalls and Anti – Virus software may also serve • To protect intellectual property amidst fears
in creating secure connections in some form. of growing industrial espionage, in particular
with companies from the pharmaceutical,
automotive and industrial sectors.
 Who needs secure connection ?
• To protect internal communication –
The various stakeholders for secure connection
government institutions and large corporate
are all those who are involved with some sort of
houses.
online transaction processing such as :

(1.) The financial and banking industry :

(1.) Business Industry :
The financial and banking industry is among
The three main reasons for securing business
the primary targets of any crime, including
communications are : 45
cyber. It is literally where the money is. 46

The client information that banks store is also Based on this initial exchange, our browser and
of interest because it could be used to commit the website then initiate the ‘SSL (Secure Socket
identity theft and fraud. To counter these Layer) handshake’. The SSL handshake involves
threats, the banking industry needs to secure the generation of shared secrets to establish a
its communications. uniquely secure connection between ourselves
One of the most extensively used mechanism is and the website.
to access websites only with “HTTPS” as prefix When a trusted SSL Digital Certificate is used
for online transaction processing. during an HTTPS connection, users will see a
HTTP v/s HTTPS : padlock icon in the browser address bar. When an
When we request an HTTPS connection to a web Extended Validation Certificate is installed on a
page, the website will initially send its SSL website, the address bar will turn green.
certificate to our browser. This certificate contains All communications sent over regular HTTP
the public key needed to begin the secure connections are in ‘plain text’ and can be read by
session. any hacker that manages to break into the
47
connection between our browser and the website.48

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This presents a clear danger if the 1. In Chrome, open a page.

‘communication’ is on an order form and includes 2. To check a sit’s security, to the left of the web
our credit card details or social security number. address, look at the security status :
With an HTTPS connection, all communications • Secure
are securely encrypted. This means that even if
• Info or Not Secure
somebody manages to break into the connection,
they would not be able to decrypt any of the data • Not Secure or Dangerous
which passes between us and the website. Some more facts about secured communication :
Steps to check if a site’s connection is secure : In recent years, WhatsApp has also added end –
To see whether a website is safe to visit, we can to – end encryption, which means only the sender
check for security info about the site. Our browser and the recipient of the message can read it, due
will alert us if we can’t visit the site safely or to special software keys that unlock the
privately. encryption.
For example, if we are browsing using chrome : End – to – end encryption is when our service
49
provider doesn’t keep copies of the messages we 50
send on their servers.

More messaging apps like WhatsApp are Signal, Identity verification service is used both online
Viber, Telegram, Dust which are available on and in person to verify identity. These services are
platforms like ios, Android, Windows, macOS and used by some social networking sites, internet
Linux. These are available free of cost. forums and wikis to stop sock puppetry, underage
Identity Verification : signups, spamming and illegal activities like
An identity verification service is used to ensure harassment, scams and money laundering. These
that users or customers provide information that services are required to establish bank accounts
is associated with the identity of a real person. and other financial accounts in many
The service may verify the authenticity of physical jurisdictions.
identity documents such as a driver’s licence or
passport, called documentary verification, or may
verify identity information against authoritative
sources such as a credit bureau or government
data, called non – documentary verification.
51 52

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