3 ways how cybercheats defraud you

Here are some common ways of defrauding the online citizenry and some must-have precautions when you are transacting online.

As the popularity of online transactions is on the rise, so are the attempts by unscrupulous entities to defraud you and make good with your money. Here are some common ways of defrauding the online citizenry and some must-have precautions when you are transacting online.

Phishing
Most financial (banking, credit/debit card) hack attacks start with 'phishing' - a term given to an online scam where fraudsters steal a victim's personal information by sending out emails that appear to have originated from legitimate financial institutions, mostly banks. These emails usually state that the user needs to urgently update or validate his/her account information after clicking on a link in the email. The link, however, leads the victim to a fraudulent website.

The information that is sought usually includes data such as usernames, passwords , bank account and credit card numbers, card expiry date, etc. Once the user enters his/her details there, the scammer comes in possession of information that can then be used to carry out bank transactions. Sometimes phishing emails also come with an attachment that automatically downloads malware onto computers. This malware could possibly record keystrokes , and steal critical data like logins and passwords without the user knowing. This information is then automatically sent to the scammer via the internet whenever the malware finds an open internet connection.

Pharming
This tactic is a bit more sophisticated . Here, a victim is sent to a fraudulent site by employing the use of a computer virus, which could possibly have originated from a phishing email.

Websites are identified on the internet by way of their IP address. So whenever a user types in a URL, such as www.mybank.com, that address is translated into an IP address via a DNS server on the internet.

Now after a user visits a website for the first time, the DNS entry for that site is usually stored on his PC's local cache so that his machine does not have to keep accessing the DNS server every time for the same website.

In pharming, a virus attacks the DNS cache and then modifies the entries there so the user is automatically led to a fraudulent site without him even knowing it. After that, it's scamming as usual, where the user is prompted for his login and password.

It should be noted that some pharming scams also attack DNS servers, but these cases are rare because these servers are usually well protected against such attacks.

Skimming
One of the ways that credit and debit cards can be compromised at points of purchase is by using a skimming device. This is a pocket sized scanner that is usually attached over the card reader. After that, when a customer swipes a credit or debit card, the skimming device secretly records the card's information. That information is then transmitted to the scammers or stored on the device. The crooks later retrieve the device and use the information to create duplicate cards, or to make online transactions
.

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NIIT to offer courses through cloud campus

NIIT will offer courses directly on student's tablets and desktops, via what it calls a cloud campus.

In one of its most significant shift in business model, computer education major NIIT will offer courses directly on student's tablets and desktops, via what it calls a cloud campus. Besides, in the next three years, it sees non-IT courses like banking, design and social media marketing account for about one-third of its revenues. 

This branching out into an alternative medium, as well as diversification drive, is about both a pull and push. "We are using the slowdown opportunity to shift to cloud," says Rajendra S Pawar, chairman of NIIT. "It will redefine how education is delivered." NIIT will offer about 50 courses via the cloud. Among the new ones are social media marketing, which will train students on how to use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and blogs for marketing. There's also digital media marketing, online marketing, business & financial services for commerce graduates to make them job-ready for sectors like banking and insurance. 

This shift also comes at a time when the core business of this 32-year-old company, IT training, is facing a squeeze. In an uncertain and changing environment, IT companies are hiring less and are looking to do more with fewer engineers, and there is greater resistance to outsourcing in the US. "IT sector hiring has reduced by 20% this year alone," says Pawar. "It's a volatile environment, reminiscent of the 2002 dotcom crash. IT has been a drag." 

NIIT's flagship IT course, the three-year GNIIT, which enrolled about 70,000 students a year till 2010, does 50,000 students a year now. "Some of NIIT's once popular courses like GNIIT, which was an equivalent of an engineering programme, are less attractive now," says Enayet Kabir, associate VP & head, education, Technopak Advisors, a consulting firm. Revenues from NIIT's career solutions business ( CBS), with IT training as it main component, fell to Rs 458 crore in 2012-13, against Rs 583 crore in 2011-12. At an overall company level, too, NIIT is under pressure, both on the revenue and profit front (See graphic). NIIT, which says it has trained 35 million people till date, has three other business lines: imparting computer training to employees of companies (like Wal-Mart, Philips and KFC), providing the same to school students and imparting vocational skills through 34 centres. 

The company hopes that cloud learning — with its anytime, anywhere appeal — will bring in more students and complement its 950 classrooms across the country. "It expands the market for us," says Vijay K Thadani, CEO of NIIT. 

NIIT has invested Rs 50 crore in a data centre for its cloud campus. It aims to enrol 5 lakh students at 300 centres via cloud by 2014. For content, it has pacts with institutes like the Digital Marketing International of Ireland and the Internet & Mobile Association of India for social media marketing courses. 

"The new areas that NIIT is getting into are not very scalable and won't be able to replace the loss from its IT business, as volumes are unlikely to be that high," says P Phani Sekhar, fund manager, portfolio management services, Angel Broking. "It's true that more banks are opening, but with more reliability on technology, they will need fewer people." 

Thadani doesn't think so. In banking, he says, the industry will need 500,000 professionals in the next five years. "The education system is not designed to meet that demand," he says. "We have to create a destination for students at end of school. In India, it is school to college and then a professional course for a job. A services economy needs to give options for jobs much quicker than that."

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HCL Infosystems unveils ME Connect 2G 2.0 phablet

HCL Infosystems Ltd has expanded its portfolio with the addition of HCL ME Tablet Connect 2G 2.0 smartphone-cum tablet.

NEW DELHI: HCL Infosystems Ltd has expanded its portfolio with the addition of HCL ME TabletConnect 2G 2.0 smartphone-cum tablet, popularly called phablet. The 7-inch ME Connect 2G phablet is powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor with 1GB DDR3 RAM and 4GB internal memory expandable up to 32GB.

ME Connect 2G 2.0 runs on the latest Android JellyBean 4.1 operating system. The phablet comes with support for 11 local Indian languages and face recognition to lock and unlock the device. HCL ME Connect 2G 2.0 phablet offers 2G voice-calling and packs a 3800 mAH Li polymer battery.

The tablet comes with freebies worth Rs 2000 and has several pre-loaded applications including BigFlix, Hungama, Readwhere, Paytm, Facebook and Twitter.

There's a 0.3 MP camera on the front while the rear camera is 2.0 MP. Other features include 3G connectivity through a USB datacard (WCDMA/EVDO), Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n). It also comes with an integrated Wi-Fi router which can be used to create a wireless hotspot.

The tablet also has a ME PC Connect software which enables users to sync contacts, calendar etc and take back-up. The device is priced at Rs 8,499 (MRP).

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Looking for gaming laptop under Rs 70,000, help

I want a gaming laptop with an i7 processor and at least 8GB of RAM under Rs 70,000.

I want a gaming laptop with an i7 processor and at least 8GB of RAM under Rs 70,000. Please help.

—Mahesh Iyer, Fabian D'Mello 

The Samsung NP550P5C-S 05IN is one of the best budget 'gaming' laptops. This machine is equipped with a 2.4GHz Core i7 3630QM quad-core processor (with Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz), anNVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics processor that's capable of handling demanding games like Crysis 3 in medium settings, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 1TB hard disk, JBL speakers, a Blu-ray drive and a 15.6-inch screen with 1600x900 pixels resolution. This machine costs around Rs 57,000. 
Alternatively, there's the Lenovo Y500 and the HP Envy M6-1216 TX, both of which are powered by the 2.2GHz Core i7 3632QM quad-core processor (with Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz) that consumes lesser power than the 3630QM. 
Like the Samsung machine, these notebooks are equipped with 8GB DDR3 RAM, only you wont get a Blu-ray drive or JBL speakers. Besides, the HP Envy runs an AMD Mobility Radeon HD 7670M graphic processor, which is a tad bit slower than the GT 650M. 
The Y500 with its backlit keyboard costs around Rs 70,000 while the HP machine costs around Rs 65,000. We'd prefer the Samsung machine, but we suggest you visit a store to check for what you prefer in terms of build quality and keyboard.

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India to have 348 million internet users by 2017: Cisco

India has the fastest internet traffic growth globally and is expected to have 348 million users by 2017, a study by networking giant Cisco   said. 

According to Cisco's Visuals Networking Index (VNI) forecast (2012-17), internet traffic in India will reach 2.5 exabytes per month in 2017, up from 393 petabytes per month in 2012. One exabyte equals 1 million terabytes. 

"In India, there will be 348 million internet usersin 2017, up from 138 million in 2012," the VNI forecast said. 

Globally, by 2017, internet users will swell to 3.6 billion, which will be more than 48 per cent of the world's projected population of 7.6 billion. In 2012, worldwide internet users stood at 2.3 billion against a population of 7.2 billion, it added. 

"The good news is that Internet traffic growth in India is the fastest globally," Cisco VP (Global Technology Policy) Robert Pepper said here.

While there is a great willingness on the part of the government and the industry to drive broadband penetration and ensure Internet access, but still there is a lot to be done. As people, devices and data get connected, the possibilities it opens are immense, he added. 

On Internet traffic in India, VNI said, IP (Internet Protocol) traffic will grow 6-fold from 2012 to 2017 in India, a compound annual growth rate of 44 per cent. 

"In India, IP traffic will reach 2.8 exabytes per month in 2017, up from 454 petabytes per month in 2012," it added. 

Internet video users will skyrocket to 113 million (excluding mobile-only) in 2017 from 16 million in 2012, the index said. 

"In 2012, in India, non-PC accounted for 10 per cent of the IP traffic, but by 2017, the non-PC share will grow to 53 per cent," it added. 

Portable devices like smartphones and tablets will contribute 40 per cent to IP traffic in 2017 from 3 per cent in 2012. TV's share will be 10 per cent and machine-to-machine (M2M) modules will contribute 3 per cent, it added. 

The report expects mobile Internet traffic to record a healthy growth by 2017. 

"Indian mobile data traffic will grow 4 times faster than Indian fixed IP traffic from 2012 to 2017. Mobile was 3 per cent of total IP traffic in 2012, and will be 32 per cent of total IP traffic in 2017," it added. 

There will be 2 billion networked devices in 2017 in India, up from 1 billion in 2012, Cisco's VNI said. 

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Windows Phone gains amid Apple-Android clash

Windows-powered smartphones made strong gains in the US market in early 2013, capturing third place, with Android and Apple at the top, a survey showed.

Android, the free operating system from Google, remained the top platform with 51.7 per cent of US sales in the three months to April, up from 50.3 per cent a year earlier, according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

Apple's iOS was second with 41.4 per cent, up from 39.1 per cent a year earlier, the survey found.

Microsoft's Windows, boosted by the Windows Phone 8 introduced last year, boosted its share to 5.6 per cent from 3.8 per cent.

The gains for the three platforms came at the expense of BlackBerry, which had a minuscule 0.7 per cent of US sales compared with 5.3 per cent a year ago.

The Canadian firm unveiled its BlackBerry 10 platform earlier this year, but the handsets have been rolling out gradually.

The survey found some positive signs for Windows, which is capturing customers upgrading from feature phones and from Android devices.

"It's not just about capturing the market that is yet to upgrade," said Kantar's Mary-Ann Parlatto.

"When looking at those who changed device, between 2011 and 2012 Windows was more successful at capturing older consumers aged 50-64. But when looking at those changing now and in the last year, we're seeing Windows now gaining share among those aged 25-34."

Other surveys have shown gains for Windows smartphones, which appear to be pushing BlackBerry to fourth place in the US market.

Android had a commanding 75 per cent global market share in the first quarter, according to research firm IDC.

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Silicon Valley at front line of global cyber war

Chinese President Xi Jinpingand American counterpart Barack Obamawill talk cyber-security this week in California, but experts say the state's Silicon Valley and its signature high-tech firms should provide the front lines in the increasingly aggressive fight against overseas hackers. 

With China seeking to grow its economy and expand its technology base, companies like Facebook, Apple, Google and Twitter are inviting targets. In fact, all have been attacked and all point the finger at China, which has denied any role. 

The US government has stepped up efforts to thwart cyber-attacks, but those efforts are mainly focused at protecting its own secrets, especially regarding military operations and technologies. 

Paul Rosenzweig, a former Department of Homeland Security official whose Red Branch Consulting provides national security advice, said the responsibility for preventing attacks in the private sector lies with the US innovators who created the technology that's being hacked in the first place. 

``To some degree, they were getting a pass,'' he said. ``If a car manufacturer made a car that was routinely able to be stolen, they'd be sued. If software is made with gaps that are a liability, they bear some responsibility, and in recent years there's been a sea change in high tech firms accepting that responsibility.'' 

Big firms like Google employ thousands of security experts who can spot a potential attack on just a few individuals and quickly disseminate protection for everyone using their products. Google routinely detects unsafe websites that spread malicious software or trick people into revealing personal information, posting warnings in front of users and contacting webmasters who may have been hacked. 

But Chinese hackers have managed to hit even Google, and in a book released this spring, Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt said China is the world's ``most sophisticated and prolific hacker.'' 

Cybersecurity is high on the agenda for the meeting between Obama and Xi on Friday and Saturday in Southern California's Rancho Mirage. A recent government report found nearly 40 Pentagon weapons programs and almost 30 other defense technologies were compromised by cyber intrusions from China. Earlier this year, cybersecurity firm Mandiant linked a secret Chinese military unit to years of cyber-attacks against US companies. 

Mandiant's chief security officer, Richard Bejtlich, said his firm tracks more than 20 potentially threating groups of hackers in China, some with links to the government and military. 

China's government denies any involvement, with Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng telling reporters Sunday that the US claims ``underestimate the intelligence of the Chinese people.'' 

Frustration is growing, however, as the attacks continue. Although none have come out publically, analysts say some US companies even are considering cyber-attacks of their own as retaliation, even though it's illegal. Retaliatory hacking was a hot topic at the 2013 RSA Conference on tech security in March, where attorneys and sitting judges even held a mock trial over an imaginary firm that struck back. 

And on May 20, the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property, headed by former US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman and former US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, recommended that Congress and the Obama administration reconsider the laws banning retaliation. 

``If counterattacks against hackers were legal, there are many techniques that companies could employ that would cause severe damage to the capability of those conducting IP theft,'' they wrote. 

Marc Maiffret, chief technology officer at security firm BeyondTrust in San Diego, warns against private firms going on the offensive. 

``There are a lot of people lobbying to `hack back' but I think that is a disastrous idea,'' said Maiffrett, who was a hacker of government sites before discovering the first Microsoft computer worm, ``CodeRed.'' 

``Most of corporate America is failing to secure themselves, let alone become competent hackers to hack back against someone like a China.'' 

Tim Junio, who studies cyber-attacks at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation, doesn't expect much to change because of the Xi-Obama talks. 

``China benefits too much by stealing intellectual property from the US, so it's really hard to imagine anyone convincing them to slow down,'' he said. 

Indeed, the payoff for successfully stealing critical information can be enormous. For example, if a company spends many millions of dollars developing expensive intellectual property, such as a pharmaceutical firm investing in a new drug, it's very cost-effective for a Chinese firm or government entity to dedicate a small team of hackers to gain access to that company's networks. 

A patient approach of sending emails for months, hoping an employee eventually clicks on a link or opens an attachment that they shouldn't, usually works. It's a probabilities game, and the offense has the advantage, especially when targeting a company with thousands of employees. Sooner or later, someone will make a mistake. 

Hackers then sell the stolen intellectual property to competing companies, which can try to replicate the product and sell counterfeits at a cut rate. For a developing country like China, this is a great way to stimulate domestic economic growth. 

Junio suspects that China's political leaders may not even be aware of the extent of hacking by their own cyber teams, because corrupt government officials may also be using them for personal gain. 

James Barnett, former chief of public safety and homeland security for the Federal Communications Commission, said the government's role in fighting Chinese hackers should be to offer high-tech firms tax deductions, credits or liability limits. 

``The private sector's role is to continue to innovate, something it can do much better than the government, and something that Silicon Valley does better than just about anywhere in the world,'' he said. 

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TCS Finland may layoff 290 employees

Tata Consultancy Services, the country's largest software company, may sack as many as 290 employees at its Finland office, a move that the workers say is an attempt to shift jobs to India.

TCS, which has a registered office in Helsinki and has an employee strength of about 800 in Finland, is currently in negotiations with the employee representatives (ERs) over the move to cut jobs.

The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland (UIL) claimed that the jobs at stake were about 412, a figure which TCS said was inaccurate.

"If I remember... 412, I believe is the correct number," UIL Director (Collective Bargaining) Ismo Kokko told PTI when asked about the number of jobs at stake in TCS.

When contacted, a TCS spokesperson said: "The maximum number of roles affected is 290 and not the numbers you have mentioned, which are completely inaccurate."

Lay-offs may be less than even 290, some sources privy to TCS management thinking said.

In April this year, over 160 employees at the Finland offices of TCS staged a walkout protesting against job cuts. These employees were outsourced by Nokia to TCS in March. The employees are based in Espoo, Salo, Tampere and Oulu.

"On April 25, there was a spontaneous walk-out from all TCS offices located in Nokia premises in Finland. People felt angry and betrayed over the fact that it only took TCS seven weeks to show their true colours. Many people felt that Nokia simply outsourced its lay-offs and dirty work to TCS," sources closely following the developments revealed.

Nokia made the announcement related to the outsourcing of employees in January and the total number of Nokia employees to be transferred was 820 of which about 560 were to go to TCS and 230 to HCL, Kokko said.

Separately, Nokia also cut jobs at its IT centre by up to 300 employees.

Kokko said negotiations with employee representatives (ERs) are currently going on and will conclude soon, which was also confirmed by sources, who wished not to be quoted.

"TCS is going through the official employee negotiation process with the ERs as required by Finnish law. The minimum negotiation time is six weeks and the meetings are scheduled to end soon. After that, TCS has to inform their final plans, including how many people they plan to lay off," they added.

The lay-off comes amidst TCS announcing plans to hire over 45 000 people globally this year, sources said.

Kokko claimed that the lay-offs are not justified as the work has not reduced.

"We want all the people to keep their jobs. They were outsourced only a couple of months ago and the work that they are doing for Nokia has not reduced at all," he said.

He, however, added: "We are afraid that jobs and work will be moved outside Finland somewhere may be to India or may be to another country. That's our main concern."

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How Zynga‘s job cuts may impact Indian staff

Online gaming company Zynga's decision to lay off 520 employees may impact its Indian headcount as well. According to reports, around 400 employees were working for Zynga in India as of April 2013. "We are not commenting about specific offices - the impact will be felt across every group in the company," said a company statement in response to an e-mail query by ET.

The US-based gaming company started its India operations in 2012 and has an office in Bangalore. According to media reports, during his maiden visit to India in April, CEO and founder Mark Pincus had said that after San Francisco, India was their biggest centre and has been a 'terrific investment' for the company.

The firm started its India branch with 25-30 employees and has hired constantly since then. Around 16 management graduates from IIMs including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta and Kozhikode were roped in 2012 for the profile of product managers. Shan Kadavil, country head for Zynga India, refused to comment on the India impact of the layoffs.

The company did not share any other details of what level of employees would be asked to leave from the India office and the kind of severance package that would be given. The layoffs are expected to get completed by August.

The global workforce reduction of 18% of the overall staff count was announced to save an estimated $70 million to $80 million in pre-tax annualised cash expense. "Zynga also expects to record an estimated $15 million reversal of stock-based expense in the second quarter of 2013 as a result of the net impact of these workforce reductions," the company said on its website.

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Suggest a good battery pack for smartphones

We have seen such cases available for the iPhones and certain Android smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S III, but are not aware of their availability in the Indian market.

I use an Android handset with a dual-core processor. My problem is that its battery barely lasts 8 hours. I have heard of battery cases for phones. Can you suggest a good brand? Also, suggest a good external battery pack for smartphones 

—-Rohan Sharma, Prashant Patil

We have seen such cases available for the iPhones and certain Android smartphones such as theSamsung Galaxy S III, but are not aware of their availability in the Indian market. You can, however, pick up an external power bank. These are battery packs that comprise either lithium-ion or lithium-polymer cells that can be charged to store power - and later, when your phone runs out of juice, you can simply connect these via USB to charge your device. When buying... Buy a battery pack that uses lithium polymer cells.

These provide double the charge density per unit weight when compared to lithium-ion . On the other hand, lithium-ion technology is the cheaper of the two technologies. Most USB devices draw not more than 1 Ampere to charge their internal batteries. However, some smartphones and tablets need 2.1 Ampere current. So check your device's charging requirements before buying a battery pack. Most battery packs do not offer more than 75% efficiency.

So it's always better to invest in a higher capacity battery pack than what you require. Buy a 5600mAh if you need 4000mAh. The CoolerMaster PowerFort ( 4,999) uses a 6,600mAh lithium polymer battery that allows for the simultaneous charging of two devices. Its 5V-1 A connector is ideal for charging most phones, while its 5V-2 .1A port charges tablets and bigger handsets. Then there's the Zebronics Power Grid ( 1,990) that uses a 4,800mAh lithium-ion battery, but also comes with a 5V-1 A as well as a 5V-2.1 A connector to charge two devices simultaneously.

If your need is only for a 1A charger, then you could opt for either the 2,200mAh Nokia Universal Portable USB Charger DC-16 or the 2,600mAh PM Powerpack 'Recharge+' Power Bank. Both these retail at 1,499.

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Dell cuts CEO Michael Dell‘s pay by 14 per cent

Dell trimmed CEO Michael Dell's pay by 14 per cent to $13.9 million last year amid a slump that culminated in a proposed $24.4 billion deal that could end the personal computer maker's 25-year history as a publicly traded company.

Most of Michael Dell's compensation last year consisted of stock awards designed to give him a greater incentive to boost the Round Rock, Texas, company's market value.

Michael Dell's stock awards were valued at $11.6 million last year while his salary remained unchanged at $950,000, according to a company filing with securities regulators Monday. He also received perks and other benefits worth $19,122.

The company paid an aircraft leasing agency $2 million for Michael Dell's travel last year, but the amount wasn't included in his total compensation package. The bill was lower than the $2.3 million that the company paid an aircraft leasing agency for Michael Dell's travel in the previous year.

The Associated Press calculates an executive's total compensation by adding salary, bonuses, perks, above-market interest that the company pays on deferred compensation and the estimated value of stock and stock options awarded during the year. The AP formula does not count changes in the present value of pension benefits.

Dell's stock price has dropped sharply since Michael Dell returned for a second stint as CEO six years ago. That downturn enabled Michael Dell and a group of investors to negotiate an agreement to buy the company for $13.65 per share - more than 40 percent below where the stock stood upon Michael Dell's return as CEO.

Two of Dell's largest shareholders, billionaire Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management, are trying to scuttle the sale to Michael Dell and his backers because they believe the price undervalues the company. Dell's board is recommending company shareholders approve the sale to the Michael Dell-led group in a meeting scheduled for July 18.

If the deal goes through, Dell will become a privately held company that no longer has to reveal how much it pays Michael Dell or other top executives.

The compensation disclosed covers Dell's fiscal year ending February 1 - four days before the company announced its deal with Michael Dell.

Dell's earnings dropped by 32 per cent last year to $2.4 billion while revenue fell by 8 per cent to $56.9 billion. Those declines are a primary reason that the company trimmed Michael Dell's performance-based cash bonus to $1.3 million last year from $3.3 million in the previous year.

The company's financial performance deteriorated largely because more technology spending is going toward smartphones and tablet computers instead of the laptop and desktop machines that Dell makes.

Michael Dell believes he can engineer a turnaround by expanding into more profitable segments in business software, data storage, and security - a transformation that he thinks will be easier to pull off if he doesn't have to cater to Wall Street's short-term demands for higher profits from one quarter to the next.

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