14-Dec-2019: SBI warns customers against charging mobile phones at charging stations
State Bank of India (SBI) has warned its customers against charging mobile phones at charging stations as fraudsters can get a chance to rob off important and sensitive data from their phones. Also, plugging mobile devices at the charging points increases the chances of malwares. SBI in its tweet said, "Think twice before you plug in your phone at charging stations. Malware could find a way in and infect your phone, giving hackers a way to steal your passwords and export your data."
It also mentions juice jacking which is a USB charger scam capable of draining the victim's bank account. Fraudsters install the malware in public charging stations after which when someone plugs in his or her phone for charging, ransomware gets installed or malware steals personal data including passwords. In fact, fraudsters are even known to leave chargers at a public station. It is better to use a USB data blocker for safe charging.
Devices such as USB condoms are gaining popularity seeing the potential risk in charging your mobile phone at charging stations. It is also known as USB data blocker that blocks the data transfer when connected to a smartphone or tablet during charging.
Juice jacking leads to a ransomware attack in which the phone gets locked and you cannot use the phone unless you pay a fee to get it unlocked. Even after paying this fee, there is no guarantee whether your phone will be unlocked or not.
Few tips to safeguard your phone from Juice Jacking-
- Look for an electrical socket behind the charging station.
- Carry your own charging cables.
- Only charge directly from an electrical outlet.
- Use portable batteries bought from known vendors.
17-Jan-2020: Centre of Excellence in Blockchain Technology
National Informatics Centre (NIC) has set up the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Blockchain Technology in Bengaluru, Karnataka, aiming to provide Blockchain as a service and allowing all stakeholders to benefit from shared learning, experiences and resources. Inauguration of Centre of Excellence in Blockchain Technology is being held tomorrow by the Union Minister for Law & Justice, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad.
National Informatics Centre (NIC) as a premier technology advisor and ICT solution provider to Government at all levels, has always taken the first step to introduce the latest technologies and services in government, be it the introduction of ICT in Government, establishment of NICNET or National Knowledge Network (NKN), development of critical e-Governance solutions and a host of other services required by the Government.
Blockchain technology is upcoming & niche technology and adoption of the same in sectors such as health, finance, agriculture and various other sectors would aid the government in implementing various programmes and provide trust and immutability to the assets.
The CoE has developed Blockchain based Proof of Concepts (PoCs) for select government use cases to understand potential benefits provided by this emerging technology. New and previously unforeseen applications of Blockchain in the Government are expected to enhance transparency, traceability and trust in e-governance systems.
The Centre of Excellence will facilitate the Government Departments in building proof of concepts for use of Blockchain technology in different dimensions of governance leading to large scale deployment of some such applications. With National Informatics Centre (NIC) providing a robust and an agile infrastructure, the CoE shall also provide Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) for efficient hosting of Blockchain network.
28-Sep-2018: NITI Aayog and Oracle sign a Statement of Intent to pilot drug supply-chain using blockchain.
In order to fight the growing problem of counterfeit drugs in India, NITI Aayog and Oracle signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to pilot a real drug supply-chain using blockchain distributed ledger and Internet of Things (IoT) software. Apollo Hospitals and Strides Pharma Sciences will partner in this effort.
The SoI was signed by Adviser NITI Aayog, Ms. Anna Roy and Regional Managing Director of Oracle India, Shailender Kumar, in the presence of CEO of NITI Aayog, Shri. Amitabh Kant; Joint MD Apollo Hospitals Group, Ms. Sangita Reddy along with senior officials of all partnering organizations.
Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog, said “The problem of fake and counterfeit drugs is a major issue, costing the Indian pharma industry billions. At the same time, it’s putting patients at higher risk. This agreement with Oracle and our partnership with Apollo Hospitals and Strides Pharma, will help ensure that Indian drug manufacturers and healthcare experts have access to a standards-based, modern technology platform – blockchain and IoT, to help eliminate fake drug distribution.”
The major advantages of blockchain software will be its ability to allow the sharing of information across the drug supply chain securely with every exchange of information getting recorded, inability to tamper with any record of the drug movement and inability to delete any records so there can be no dispute, if an offender is caught.
About Blockchain technology in drug supply-chain: Blockchain technology helps to permanently register a drug’s record in the manufacturer’s drug supply chain (serial number, labelling, scanning), leaving no scope for record tampering. At every point of hand change, it records the drug’s movement – from manufacturer to logistics, to Stockist to hospital, or pharmacy to consumer. In case of a fake drug, the software will detect irregularity. Additionally, critical information such as chemical ingredients of the drug or maintenance of temperature control in case of life saving drugs or vaccines, can also be tracked.
12-Sep-2018: Cabinet approves MoU on Collaborative Research on Distributed Ledger and Block Chain Technology
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Collaborative Research on Distributed Ledger and Block chain Technology in the context of Development of digital economy by Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) with the participating member banks, under the BRICS Interbank Cooperation Mechanism namely Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social (BNDES, of Brazil), China Development Bank (CDB), State Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank, of Russia) and Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA).
Major Impact: Distributed Ledger/Block chain technology holds potential for solutions to various challenges being faced in the financial sector space of the BRICS nations. The MoU intends to enhance understanding of Distributed Ledger/Block Chain technology, through the joint research efforts to identify areas within respective business operations where it may have the potential for applications aimed at enhancing the operational efficiencies.
Background: The Xiamen Declaration signed in China on digital economy by the BRICS leaders had highlighted the importance of the digital economy and how the BRICS nations could leverage the thriving and dynamic digital economy that will foster global economic development and benefit everyone. Accordingly, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Collaborative Research on Distributed Ledger and Block chain Technology in the Context of the Development of the Digital Economy was suggested to be inked by all member banks.
30-Oct-2019: Edge computing gathers traction
According to a research, by 2025, companies will generate and process more than 75% of their data outside of traditional centralised data centres — that is, at the “edge” of the cloud. As the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices expands and the need to process IoT data quickly increases, many IT leaders are considering or beginning to employ edge computing options.
Edge computing enables data to be analysed, processed, and transferred at the edge of a network. Meaning , the data is analysed locally, closer to where it is stored, in real-time without latency, rather than send it far away to a centralised data centre. It allows for quicker data processing and content delivery.
The basic difference between edge computing and cloud computing lies in where the data processing takes place. Internet of Things (IoT) systems perform all of their computations in the cloud using data centres. In Edge computing, massive amounts of data generated by IoT devices are stored and processed locally. That data doesn’t need to be sent over a network as soon as it processed; only important data is sent — therefore, an edge computing network reduces the amount of data that travels over the network.
According to experts, edge computing introduces several new security risks.
- One of the most prominent concerns is the physical security of the devices, which are more vulnerable to malicious attacks and mishaps of all kinds than typical office equipment and technology safely held within corporate walls.
- Micro data centers, such as those being deployed by telecommunication companies — in some cases, at the base of cell towers — introduce a level of physical vulnerability that didn’t exist with corporate data centers and large cloud providers.
- Meanwhile, many organizations will be challenged to understand, track and monitor what data they have and where, what protections are required at the various points based on the data and vulnerabilities specific to each endpoint and how to govern what could soon be a sprawling infrastructure at many companies.
Edge computing may offer some protection against a catastrophic attack where a single incident can compromise large amounts of a company’s data. In some ways, it’s more resilient, because instead of one or two or even three data centers, you have distributed data and compute on the edge, which makes it much more resilient to malicious and non-malicious events.
Experts believe the true potential of edge computing will become apparent when 5G networks go mainstream in a year from now. Users will be able to enjoy consistent connectivity without even realising it.