At Maha Kumbh Mela, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for digital fraudsters

livemint.com:

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Maha Kumbh Mela being held after 144 years is expected to attract not just 40-45 million pilgrims to the most populous district in India’s most populous state but also an army of digital fraudsters. Scamsters have already made victims out of several devotees using basic tech such as fake websites purportedly offering accommodation and other Kumbh Mela-related services besides WhatsApp and digital accounts to collect payments.

Cyber consultants Aon, mFilterIt and Quick Heal warn the Maha Kumbh Mela could see more sophisticated cyberattacks as well. “The sheer volume of data collected, ranging from personal to payment information, creates a lucrative target for hackers," said Apurva Gopinath, deputy vice president of financial services and professional group, India Aon, which provides risk-management services and products to companies. “Potential threats include phishing, ransomware, and denial of service attacks that can disrupt essential services or compromise sensitive data," she added.

Also read | A sales job: What Astrotalk’s 41,000 astrologers didn’t see in their future Phishing attacks bait people into sharing their personal data such as credit card details, passwords and pin codes by using fake websites or links resembling original service providers. Ransomware attackers block systems, files and networks and demand a ransom for restoring access. A denial of service attack overwhelms networks or devices and prevents their functioning.