Parul University’s PIET (Parul Institute of Engineering & Technology) launched its very first cybersecurity hub named HackSpace. It is designed to bring greater awareness about cybersecurity and phishing attacks. Every attack leaves a trace, and each trace tells a story. In this tech-driven era, whatever we do online creates a footprint, and protecting that footprint is an important life skill. Let’s explore what a cybersecurity expert advised Parul University’s students!
Attackers Exploit Greed, Not Just Technology!
The most interesting way to get attention isn’t some ordinary hack; it is a simple emotional trap, planned by a few scams, and that’s why scammers are winning digitally. Attackers usually focus on creating too-good-to-be-true offers, prizes, or a link, and so they believe in playing with human psychology. The defence part is simple-pause before you click at all the time. Don’t just trust whatever you see online. If something looks unexpected or is trying to create a fake emergency, go to their official website, get it confirmed and then execute ahead!
Guard Your Data: App Permissions and Location
One of the most important lessons from the session was also the most unsettling: the sender name on an email can be faked. An email that appears to come from a friend, a colleague, or a company may not be from them at all, a technique attackers use to trick people into trusting a malicious message. The takeaway is purely defensive: never trust an email on the strength of the sender’s name alone. Be cautious with unexpected attachments and links, verify unusual requests through a separate, known channel, and slow down before acting on anything that pressures you to hurry
Importance of Password Safety!
There’s a golden rule for protecting your password: treat your password like a toothbrush, never share it, and replace it whenever you feel something is off. Besides this, you can establish a few practices such as:
- Keep them longer than your usual ones – Move beyond your birthdates and go for something complex, longer, and hard to type.
- Password manager – Use a password manager so it can suggest strong and unique passwords.
- Activate 2FA – Turn on two-factor authentication to safeguard your devices at all levels, and that’s when most attackers get stopped.
- Don’t reuse the same passwords. – Do not use what you’ve used previously, as there is a chance of losing your account.
The Free Wi-Fi Theory Has Dangerous Perks!
Free Wi-Fi sounds like some jackpot at a railway station, cafe, or airport. But the moment you jump into any open Wi-Fi network, it holds risks and encrypted traffic, and hence security experts treat public Wi-Fi as untrusted. Instead of avoiding it completely, avoid logging into banking or other suspicious accounts, and ensure sites have the HTTPS tag as well. Besides this, you can use a reputable VPN, which encrypts your connection!
Secure the Devices You Forget About
It is not only phones and laptops that need protecting. Internet-connected devices, home cameras, routers, and smart gadgets are often left on their default settings, which makes them easy to find and misuse. Security researchers use tools that catalogue exposed devices precisely to highlight this risk. The defensive lesson is simple: change default usernames and passwords on every device, keep firmware updated, and do not leave cameras or devices open to the internet without protection.
FAQs
How to stay safe online?
Follow this simple golden rule and save yourself from malicious attacks. Pause before clicking, trust your gut, confirm the authority, and don’t fall for fake offers. Confirm those things on their official website and then move ahead with the process. Use unique passwords and store passwords with a digital password manager, turn on two-factor authentication and limit your app permissions so your location activity isn’t visible as well. Whenever moving out, do not use public Wi-Fi at all!
How do phishing attacks happen?
It’s an attack that lures you with a trick/link/offer by creating a fake emergency, and that’s when you end up getting scammed. Pause before you click and avoid entering details via links or any unexpected messages.
Is public Wi-Fi safe to use?
Open public Wi-Fi should be treated as untrusted, because others on the same network may be able to observe unencrypted traffic. Avoid logging into banking or sensitive accounts on it, prefer sites using HTTPS, and use a reputable VPN to encrypt your connection when you must do anything sensitive.
