What is the latest advisory issued by the government for all Smartphone users?

The advancement in the use of the internet has surely made our life easier but at a cost. This cost does not just include a monthly or annual internet package but a major loss of finances, breach of privacy, identity theft, phishing, and more. According to a report of 2022, the cases of ransomware threats have increased to 1.2 billion in the early half of the year. And to keep a hold on these cases the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), part of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued an advisory in the interest of smartphone users.

#tipoftheday
Ensure to share vital security tips with colleagues and friends@GoI_MeitY @IndianCERT @NICMeity @MeitY_NICSI @PBNS_India @mygovindia @EduMinOfIndia @MinistryWCD @MoHFW_INDIA @FinMinIndia @PMOIndia @NPCI_NPCI @NPCI_BHIM @UPI_NPCI @Cyberdost @_DigitalIndia pic.twitter.com/f2EYG5i6ZG

— Information Security Awareness (ISEA) by MeitY (@InfoSecAwa) September 20, 2022

And the list of guidelines for smartphone users to avert cybercrime is as follows:

Make you carry downloads from authentic official stores only, such as Google Play store and App store. Also, enable in-built mobile phone options to reduce the risk of downloading harmful apps.

• Install app updates or phone updates only from Android device vendors.
• Abstain from clicking on untrusted links you receive from any unauthorized emails and SMSs. Also do not go for links with short URLs, as they can probably be a trap
• Genuine URLs always include a domain name. For official links of an organization refer to search engines like google or more.
• Avoid buying used smartphones or other electronic devices.
• Protect your device with strong antivirus and antispyware software installation.
• Do not give access to personal information or account login credentials to anybody without a proper investigation.
• Look for the valid encryption certificates by checking for the green lock in the browser's address bar
• In case of any unusual activity in their account, customers should immediately report to their respective banks.
• Never use public wi-fi or shared internet connections to initiate any sort of transactions.
• Make sure to report any unauthorized activity in your account to the bank of the respective organization at the earliest.
• Use a face lock, strong pins, or finger lock to unblock the phone or laptop.
• Do not leave the phone with strangers, as it just takes a few minutes to transfer data.

Cybercrime is a crime that involves a device and a network. The virtual villains behind these crimes live between us, still, it becomes difficult for authorities to keep a check on them in the real world. Thereupon, it is important for users to make sure that they are always cautious and alert about their use of the internet.