Researching on Cyber torture, I learnt that data manipulation, which is defined as, “retrieval, insertion, deletion and modification of data or information stored in the database” is a form of cyber bullying. A few months ago, a news headline caused quite a sensation in NSW, especially in Sydney. A major security breach occurred in one of the departments of the stage government, Services NSW caused by phishing, which was a cyber attack by cyber criminals using scam emails; a stealthy technique used to gain financial details, personal information etc by persuading the recipients to click on an important link or an attachment. Being apologetic did not save Services NSW from scathing criticism for not using the latest cyber security strategies and for taking four months to alert residents since the initial discover of the compromise of email accounts of forty seven staff members in April. At this juncture one cannot fathom the harm caused by this serious privacy intrusion which is nothing short of bullying in the digital age as the attack has victimised 186,000 clients and there is no guarantee that the cyber hacking would not lead to cyber stalking.
United Nations’ investigations identify cyber torture as, “intimidation, harassment, surveillance, as well as appropriation, deletion or manipulation of information.” Everyday occurrences prove that there is an urgent need for adults, young people, and children to be aware of the strategies to tackle cyber bullying. Being victimized by cyber hackers who steal important documents, assessments just when you desperately need them and passwords changed repeatedly within the blink of an eye, I reported to Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network and got a response. However, due to marking operations which went on for four weeks during after school hours made it impossible for me to chase it up or follow through. My belief that switching internet providers would resolve the issue proved false. Total AV, Norton Security, Avast anti-virus and malware software was no match for the professional hackers who were able to override it effortlessly. The library course assessments compelled me to research about 2020 Cybersecurity strategies to mitigate the ever increasing cyberthreats and familiarized myself with Essential Eight Maturity model and became more aware of ways to deal with cyber threats. Recently, I chose the ‘Individuals and families’ option from the Australian Cyber Security Centre (https://www.cyber.gov.au) and joined the Stay Smart Online Program by registering and downloaded the Stay Smart Online partner resource kits comprising of images, storyboards and animation clips which I have been sharing on all my social networking websites.
I am glad to see a green box with secure in it in the results retrieved via web-based services and now I will be sharing the resources from the kit on my websites too. Looking forward to a huge difference!
A Writer's Exposé 