Technological advances in IT, Digital Devices, Internet , communication as well as Embedded computing and Biotechnology have lead to new lifestyle for all persons.But all Persons are not Same. We always have persons with negative mindsets since creation of Human Race on this planet. Unfortunately this tribe is also becoming Tech Savvy.. Cybercrimes are on the Rise and their average age is reducing every year,.

Even National Security is also on stake . New age war is not necessarily on Borders , nor its fought with foot soldiers. You can create havoc without dropping a drop of blood or by invading a nation. New age technology and Tech equipped warfare has created new dimensions for fighting enemy. Hollywood movies such as Die Hard , Mission Impossible series as well as James Bond and some Hindi movies such as Baby, Phantom etc have boldly and openly shown use of Technology for committing crimes. This has lead to negative awareness

Common man needs to be aware of this potential risk and needs to take lot of precautions to ensure that he is neither supportive of evil intentions of the enemy nor prey to the newage warfare.

Cyber wars can be conducted in a number of ways. It can be classified into two categories – first is cyber spying and second is cyber attacks.

A lot of information can be exchanged as well as stored on the web, regarding national security and also the international position on certain issues. Such information is not only very sensitive and confidential but can also be copyright protected. Any attempt to procure such information and use it in an unauthorized manner or sell it or get other services in exchange for it is generally termed as cyber spying. Such data can be obtained from personal, institutional or departmental emails .In addition it can be secured by cleverly getting hold of the person’s business or political rivals or benefactors or opponents. In order to get the information hackers are employed to manipulate the internet, networks, software as well as computers and computer systems. There can be military, political, economic and social motives behind this. Such stolen, secret information is not only used in an unauthorized manner but also retained on the site after making a few changes, ( to suit the interests of the hackers or those who hire them), which is more dangerous and misleading. Consequently, those handling as well as reading the main source of the data cannot make out (at least initially), that the information is distorted. There is every possibility that wrong decisions or actions are taken based on such incorrect information. These mistakes are likely to be advantageous for rival nations. There is likelihood that the country in question may be caught unawares when an attack is made on it.

Readers may ask, “What has this international spying activity conducted at a higher level got to do with my bank account?” The answer to this question is, “May be if not today, it will certainly happen tomorrow. ”Today, every one depends heavily upon computers, internet and smart phones. On the personal as well as public level, dependence on e-facilities i.e., electronic facilities is on the rise. We are moving towards a condition in which our entire system will be based on information technology. An inevitable outcome of this is that cyber attacks, that is attacks on networks and other cyber facilities are on the rise. Generally this is called as ‘hacking’

Prevention better than Cure

If you are a corporate user, then I strongly recommend your company to regularly undertake “IT Security Audit”. This is an established science and many expert auditors are well equipped to undertake such a task .. A security audit is a systematic evaluation of the security of a company's information system by measuring how well it conforms to a set of established criteria

Tips for Common IT Users.

As an individual IT user using all sorts of Digital Devices one needs to be careful on various aspects.
Some of the tips for individual user are mentioned below Cyber Crime Prevention Tips

• Use Strong Passwords Secure your computer
  • Activate your firewall
  • Use anti-virus/malware software
• Block spyware attack
• Show Social-Media Savyness.
• Secure your Mobile Devices.
• Install the latest operating system updates
• Protect your Data 
• Secure your wireless network
• Protect your e-identity
• Avoid being scammed
• Call the Right Person for Help

Let us take adequate care and become Cybersafe . Each one of us has a role to play.

deepak@deepakshikarpur.com
Author is IT Entrepreneur, Writer of 38 books and Digital Literacy Activist. Views mentioned above are purely personal.