By Tahna Weston
The Director in the Cyber Security and Communications Department within the Ministry of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) has revealed that cyber security attacks are on an increase.
Gordina Hector-Murrell’s comment came after it was discovered last week that hacking attempts were being made via WhatsApp groups. This prompted the Ministry of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to issue a public alert.
Hector-Murrell said hackers are becoming craftier.
“So [cyber] attacks are on the increase and, because of that, there are some genius ways of how [hackers] are doing things. They are doing social engineering, so they know that … you’ll be triggered to think that I’m a part of this group and I’m getting a call on behalf of this group.
“My thing is though, how come persons are still being caught when, let’s say you’re in a group that doesn’t have a male and a male is calling to tell you about the meeting? So they study the person, the WhatsApp that they would have hacked, the group, so they would know that this is the slant that I have to take when I’m making the call to the person. And I understand that it has been going on for a while,” Hector-Murrell said.
The cyber security director said these types of incidents have been occurring for some time in Antigua and Barbuda, where foreigners seek to scam locals by getting access to their personal information through electronic devices.
She said persons should always verify any link before clicking or downloading anything that is being sent to them from unknown individuals.
Hector-Murrell noted that while the hackers used the WhatsApp phone application last weekend, on previous occasions there have been phishing attempts being done through email, and through SMS messages, and also through WhatsApp voice messages.
She said the possibility exists that an individual’s electronic device — phone, computer, tablet — is taken over, and if there is sensitive information in emails or banking information, there’s a possibility that that could be exposed to the hackers.
Therefore, the cyber security director said it is very important that persons put mechanisms in place to protect their personal information from falling into the wrong hands.
“We have phishing, we have smishing, and of course we have the phishing through the email. But it’s just for the public to be aware, knowing that each of us has a responsibility to do our part, and for us to be cyber smart.
“Once they would have had access to your WhatsApp, they will most likely have access to the contacts that you have there on your WhatsApp. They could have access to your device as well. So then, if you have other things on your device, your information, all those are possibilities that that information could become exposed and the hacker could have access to that information, especially if you’re locked out of your device. I have not heard of whether or not that has been done as yet, but those are some of the extents to which it could go,” Hector-Murrell shared.
She said that there are vulnerable individuals including the elderly and the young who are most likely to fall prey to hackers.
“Now, one of the things that we have, the reason why I was so quick to try to get this out is because of the vulnerable. We’re concerned about the vulnerable. You and I would get a call and I would say this number is kind of strange. I don’t expect a call from this number.
“And I may decide not to answer it, or I may hang up on the person. But the elderly and the young, who are not paying attention to those things, may just decide to answer the call and carry out the instructions that the person, the hacker, would have said to them. So there are certain vulnerable groups,” she said.
Hector-Murrell added that social media and the Internet are platforms that are supposed to be beneficial, but individuals have corrupted them in order to try to make money and scam people through hacking and cybercrime.
Unfortunately, she said that these types of activities are not going to end now, adding that the threats are going to get more sophisticated.
