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80% complaints SLCERT receives are related to social media

Published

2 years ago

2024/04/6

Thilina Walpola

Charuka Damunupola

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.

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Related Topics:Charuka Damunupola SLCERT

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Navy seize an Indian fishing boat poaching in northern waters

Published

1 hour ago

2026/01/3

Priyan

During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 01 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended 11 Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan of Kareinagar, Jaffna.

The Northern Naval Command spotted a group of Indian fishing boats engaging in illegal fishing, trespassing into Sri Lankan waters. In response, naval craft of the Northern Naval Command were deployed to drive away those Indian fishing boats from island waters off Kovilan.

Meanwhile, compliant boarding made by naval personnel resulted in the seizure of one Indian fishing boat and apprehension of 11 Indian fishermen who continued to engage in illegal fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

The seized boat (01) and Indian fishermen (11) were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.

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Tri-Forces donate LKR. 372 million, a day’s pay of all ranks to ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

7 hours ago

2026/01/3

Priyan

Members of all ranks from the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force have collectively donated a day’s basic salary to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, which was established to restore livelihoods and rebuild the country following the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah.

Accordingly, the total contribution made by the Tri-Forces amounts to LKR. 372,776,918.28.

The cheques representing the financial contributions were handed over on Wednesday (31 December) at the Presidential Secretariat to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

The donations comprised LKR. 250 million from the Commander of the Army, Major General Lasantha Rodrigo; LKR. 73,963,879.71 from the Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and LKR. 48,813,038.97 from the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe.

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, was also present on the occasion.

News

CEB demands 11.57 percent power tariff hike in first quarter

Published

10 hours ago

2026/01/3

Thilina Walpola

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has submitted a proposal to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) seeking an 11.57 percent increase in electricity tariffs for the first quarter of 2026, citing an estimated revenue shortfall and additional financial pressures, including cyclone-related damages.

According to documents issued by the PUCSL, the proposed tariff revision would apply to electricity consumption from January to March 2026 and includes changes to both energy charges and fixed monthly charges across all consumer categories, including domestic, religious, industrial, commercial and other users.

Under the proposal, domestic electricity consumers would face increases in unit rates as well as fixed monthly charges across all consumption blocks.

The CEB has estimated a deficit of Rs. 13,094 million for the first quarter of 2026, which it says necessitates the proposed 11.57 per cent tariff hike. The utility has noted that any deviation from this estimate whether a surplus or a shortfall will be adjusted through the Bulk Supply Tariff Adjustment (BSTA) mechanism and taken into account in the next tariff revision.

In its submission, the CEB said the proposed revision is aimed at ensuring the financial and operational stability of the power sector and mitigating potential risks to the reliability of electricity supply. The board-approved tariff structure for the first quarter of 2026 has been submitted to the PUCSL for approval and subsequent implementation, as outlined in Annex II of the proposal.

The CEB has also highlighted the financial impact of Cyclone Ditwah, which it said caused extensive damage to electricity infrastructure, with total losses estimated at around Rs. 20 billion. Of this amount, Rs. 7,016.52 million has been attributed to the first quarter of 2026, which the utility said has a direct bearing on electricity tariffs.

The CEB warned that if external funding is not secured to cover the cyclone-related expenditure, the costs incurred would need to be recovered through electricity tariffs in the second-quarter revision of 2026.

Meanwhile, the PUCSL has said that a decision on whether to approve the proposed tariff increase will be made only after following due regulatory procedures and holding discussions on the matter.

By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️