News
80% complaints SLCERT receives are related to social media
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Approximately 80 percent of the complaints Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) receives are related to social media, Senior Information Security Engineer at SLCERT, Charuka Damunupola said.
Apart from this, there are complaints of hackers entering websites and deleting data, and ransomware as well.
“Now there is a lot of discussion on phone hacking. These are mainly phishing attacks,” he said.
Phishing attacks are fraudulent emails, text messages, phone calls or websites that are designed to trick users into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information or personal data (for example, Social Security and credit card numbers, bank account numbers, login credentials), or taking other actions that expose themselves or their organizations to cybercrime.
Damunupola said last year they received 31,548 complaints, most of them are issues that arose during social media usage.
“There was a marked increase in online scams. We received 1,609 such complaints. We can divide these scams into several subcategories. You may receive a link by someone who promises you a foreign job. Once you click the link you are taken to a website that asks you for documents such as copies of your NIC, birth certificate, passport, etc. You may pull back at the last moment and not pay them any money, but you are giving very sensitive personal information to malicious third parties. There are many things that such malicious people can do with such sensitive information,” he said.
Damunupola said cyber-criminal can use the copy of an NIC and open an online banking account. If that account is used for criminal activity, investigators might end up suspecting the person whose NIC was used.
“There is currently a scam that is targeting journalists these days. You may receive a message from someone in your friends’ list saying that he or she has applied for a journalism programme that requires votes from his or her Facebook friends. Then you will receive an OTP and the person that reached out to you will ask for the OTP. This is usually the OTP Facebook sends when someone requests a password reset. The moment you give the OTP away, you lose access to the Facebook account,” he said.
Damunupola said that during COVID parents had to buy devices and internet access for their children. There have been many instances where children have used credit cards of their parents for micro transactions, i.e., where users can purchase in-game virtual goods with micropayments. He added that most people are being lured to pyramid schemes in the guise of investing in cryptocurrencies.
“We can’t turn back the clock now. Smartphones have now become indispensable. The entire country was exposed to the QR system during the fuel crisis. We just need to know the limitations and the dark side of technology. Parents also need to think about being a gatekeeper as regard to what the child has access to,” he said.
Damunupola said Sri Lankans must also be weary of what they post on social media. They also need to be weary when taking photos that may compromise them at a later date.
“There are many instances where people at phone shops recover very personal photos and misuse them.
The official appointment letters for the members of the newly established “Cricket Transformation Committee” (CTC) were handed over on Monday (04) by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage.
The following members received their letters of appointment at the Ministry premises:
Sidath Wettimuny
Thushira Radella
Prakash Schaffter
Ms. Avanthi Colombage
The Ministry also noted that veteran cricketers Roshan Mahanama and Kumar Sangakkara, who are key members of the committee, are currently overseas. Their official appointments will be formalised immediately upon their arrival in Sri Lanka.
The Cricket Transformation Committee has been mandated to oversee the administration and drive structural reforms within Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in accordance with the powers vested in the Minister under the Sports Act No. 25 of 1973.
Three prison guards attached to the Welikada Prison have been arrested by Borella Police following the death of an inmate on Monday (04).
‘Bar Association must reveal its stand’
Civil society group ‘Free Lawyers’ has requested Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena to probe whether political pressure was brought on a Magistrate, or a High Court Judge, in respect of an ongoing high profile case.
Speaking to The Island on behalf of ‘Free Lawyers,’ Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon said that they felt the urgent need to seek the CJ’s intervention, following the May Day declaration by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake that the verdict of a case that was heard on 30 April would be given on 25 May. Tennakoon said that addressing the NPP’s main May Day rally at Maharagama, the President asked the people to be ready to celebrate that verdict. The President couldn’t have said so if he hadn’t been aware of the impending verdict, Tennakoon said, while emphasising the responsibility on the part of the Bar Association to state its position on the issue.
‘Free Lawyers’ recently captured pubic attention following its exposure of the theft of USD 2.5 mn from the Treasury.
Responding to a query, Tennakoon said that on behalf of ‘Free Lawyers,’ Maithri Gunaratne, PC, on Monday, 4 April, wrote to both CJ Surasena and President of the Bar Association Rajeev Amarasuriya.
Alleging that President Dissanayake’s declaration caused immense harm to the independence of the judiciary and raised controversy over the judgement that would be given on 25 May, ‘Free Lawyers’ organisation also asked the CJ to inquire into whether the entire judicial process was under political pressure.
Tennakoon said that they expect the Bar Association to reveal its position on President Dissanayake’s statement. Tennakoon pointed out that during the May Day address, President Dissanayake made reference to 15 cases that were to be taken up during this month, whereas Transport, Highways and Urban Development Minister, as well as Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake, mentioned nearly 10 names of politicians, both sitting and former lawmakers, to be summoned beginning, May.
Tennakoon said that the NPP appeared to have used May Day to counter growing accusations over the Colombo port container controversy, coal scam, Rs 13.2 bn NDB fraud and theft of USD 2.5 mn from the Treasury and USD 625,000 from the Sri Lanka Postal Service.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
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