PII is any data that could potentially be used to identify a particular person. Example include full name, Mobile Number, Office/ Residence Address, Aadhaar Number, PAN Number, Driver’s license Number, Bank Account Number, Passport Number of self and family member, etc.
Malicious actors can misuse PII by stitching together, various disparate information, to their own advantage for carrying out targeted spear-phishing attack. For example, if an e-mailof Service Personnel is compromised, the same can be used for malicious activities like breach of privacy, phishing, illegal activities, blackmailing the victim for money or leakage of official secrets. Identity theft of one’s Credit/ Debit card info can result in loss of money by fraudulent transactions on behalf of the victim. In case of loss of Aadhaar, PAN, Driving License etc, the same can be used to avail fake loans orcan be used as an ID proof while committing a crime. These ID proof can be used to purchase SIM cards for criminal purpose. Using Departmental ID cards, one can enter in restricted or prohibited area for any anti-national activities. Death benefits of an individual like insurance can be claimed by frauds by using fake ID cards of the heirs. Medical and children identity can be used to avail benefits of medical insurance claim and education grants/loans.
such as web application servers, email servers, end point devices and can be compromised by carrying out targeted attack on them. The same can be carried out through the usage of external media such as Wireless/ USB devices used for storage & transfer of data.
The best practices in the succeeding paragraphs will aid an organisation/ individual user in maintaining good Cyber Security Hygiene and thus protect the PII.
Web Applications Security Best Practices.
Internet facing websites of organisations are always subjected to regular online attacks by adversaries/ hackers. These websites may contain sensitive PII of service personnel. Therefore, these websites are to be protected with adequate security controls. Some of the best practices in this regard are enumerated below:-
Email Security Best Practices
Email needs to be kept secure and free from the malicious content to keep the potentially sensitive information from being read by an unintended user. Following actions are recommended:-
Desktop Security Best Practices
The following are the best practices to be followed for protection of desktop clients:-
Wireless Security Best Practices
Technology has made life convenient for everyone to connect to the Internet without having to connect physically to the networking devices through technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth rely
on radio signals for transmission of data. Radio signals are relatively easy to intrude upon when compared to tapping information on a cable making them more susceptible to an attack. The following are the few of the best practices to be followed for a safe wireless networking experience:-
USB Security Best Practices
Use of portable devices can increase the risk of data loss, data exposure and increased exposure to network based attacks to and from any system the device is connected to. The following are some of the best practices to be followed for USB security:
