You Are ‘Naked’ In Cyber World

All your online data are up for sale. Here is proof.

Do you want cyber data containing phone numbers, email address, contact address and credit card details of crores of people? They are easily available and for a cheap sum of Rs 1500!.
Astonishingly, the data sale is happening in India, and offers state-wise, category-wise for the ease of buyers.

In an investigative report ran by Mathrubhmi newspaper on Monday pointed fingers at the data sale, which can lead to financial frauds. The reporter followed an SMS, received by a web developer in Kozhikode (Calicut), and paid Rs 1500. In return what he received were details of credit cards of different banks and particulars of students who wait for exam results including those in Kerala. They are ready to provide categorised details of doctors, engineers and chartered accountants.
Data sale–the steps
A web developer of a start up in Kozhikode received an SMS promising him of database of 30 crore people, all for just Rs. 1500.
The reporter contacted the WhatsApp number given in the message. And he received an instant response which starts with “Welcome to Emails Era”. Included in the message were the links to the website and a sample data.
When the reporter asked for state-wise database, he was told such a database could be obtained for Rs.3500.

The reporter received a sample file which elaborates what details are included in the data.
He was asked to pay the fee which can be remitted trough Paytm, bank transfer or Google Tez. The accounts are in the name of Henry Joeseph. The reporter was asked to submit the screenshot or the receipt of the money remitted through email.
The subsequent conversation revealed that the man operated from Hyderabad. As promised, the reporter received the details in 15 minutes. Names, addresses, age, date of birth, phone numbers, occupation, gender, bank account numbers, emails and PAN were included in the details.
It is suspected that the information is collected through hacking. Experts warn that cyber data are not secure with hackers continuously trying to hack even encrypted bank servers. Technical resistance through continuous inspection is the only solution to data threat, they say.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had claimed that India has one of the strongest cyber security systems. What does he have to say now?