ICAR-CIRCOT organised a Samuhik Charcha as part of Mission Karmayogi – SADHANA Saptah on Apr 10, 2026 on the topic “Cyber Security for Everyday Life: At Work and Beyond

In the contemporary digital landscape, cyber security has transitioned from a specialized technical concern to a fundamental life skill required by every citizen. The scale of the threat is staggering, with Indian citizens alone losing approximately ₹22,000 crore to cyber fraud in 2025. As we generate hundreds of millions of terabytes of data daily, the necessity for "Cyber Vigilance" has become the new normal. This vigilance must be practiced across both professional and personal spheres to mitigate the rising risks of identity theft and financial loss.

In light of this, Dr. Himanshushekhar Chaurasia delivered a talk as part of Mission Karmayogi – SADHANA Saptah, a Samuhik Charcha (Group Discussion) on the topic “Cyber Security for Everyday Life: At Work and Beyond” organised by Dr. T. Senthilkumar.

He emphasized the importance of cyber security at workplace. Within the workplace, maintaining organizational data integrity relies on consistent digital hygiene. Professionals must adopt the habit of locking workstations during even the briefest absences and utilizing secure VPNs rather than public Wi-Fi for remote tasks. Security is a collective responsibility, where verifying urgent requests through secondary channels and immediately reporting phishing attempts to IT departments are critical steps in defending the infrastructure.

Moreover, Dr. Chaurasia also discussed Beyond the office, personal account security demands a multi-layered defence strategy. Multi-factor authentication is no longer optional but a prerequisite for all financial and communication accounts. Users must remain alert to "Look-Alike Domains," where subtle misspellings in URLs are used to harvest credentials. In the Indian banking context, verifying the ".bank.in" domain provides an essential layer of legitimacy. Furthermore, safeguarding the physical-digital link is vital; users should actively use the mAadhaar app to lock biometrics, preventing unauthorized withdrawals via the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System.

Furthermore, Dr. Chaurasia talked about what it means to be cyber vigilante and how different kinds of cyber frauds are prevalent in the society. The evolution of fraud has introduced highly psychological and high-tech tactics, such as "Digital Arrest" scams. In these scenarios, criminals impersonate law enforcement via video calls to extort victims through fear. Similarly, AI-driven voice cloning allows scammers to mimic family members in distress. To combat this, families should establish secret safety words to verify identities during suspicious calls. On mobile devices, the threat often arrives via malicious APK files disguised as utility bills or "accidental" UPI transfers intended to trick users into scanning QR codes. It is a hard rule of digital safety that QR codes are only for making payments, never for receiving them.

Along with different kinds of frauds, the staff was also made aware of what needs to be done in case they are trapped in any cyber fraud. When a security breach occurs, the "LBW Rule" provides a clear framework for immediate action: Law Enforcement, Bank, and Wipe. Victims must instantly call the 1930 helpline or report to the national cybercrime portal. Simultaneously, they must contact their banks to freeze all affected accounts and cards. If malicious software was installed, a factory reset of the device is necessary to remove persistent threats. Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023, individuals now have legal rights regarding informed consent and data security. Speed remains the most effective defence; reporting incidents within the first hour—the "Golden Hour"—significantly increases the chances of freezing stolen funds and holding perpetrators accountable through portals like Chakshu. Staying informed and sceptical is the primary line of defence in an increasingly connected world.

Along with the talk, Dr Chaurasia also encouraged staff to openly talk about any cyber fraud /scam happened with them and discussed those types of cyber frauds and how to avoid them. He emphasised that first and foremost, people need to talk about those frauds as scammers use this shaming in their favour.

The Charcha ended with vote of thanks to Dr. Chaurasia for delivering the talk and leading the discussion, to Dr. T. Senthilkumar for organising the samuhik charcha and to the Director for permitting to have a discussion on such an important topic.