A Delhi advocate has claimed that she lost Rs 50 lakh to a “SIM swapping scam”. As per an Indian Express report, the woman received three missed calls from an unknown number. After she called back from a different number, the person said that it was a courier call. The woman then shared her house address, the report added. After sharing the details, the 35-year-old reportedly got two transaction notifications from her bank.

Delhi Police’s cyber unit said the woman didn’t share any information like OTP (one time password) with the scammer.  

What is SIM Swapping Scam?

A scammer manages to get access to your SIM card. They trick the network provider into linking your number to the SIM card they have in possession. Once the scammers get control over your phone number, anyone calling or texting this number gets connected to the scammers’ device. This helps the scammers overcome the two-factor authentication hurdle and get access to OTPs sent by the bank.

How to protect yourself?

There are some basic points that one should keep in mind: 

– Never entertain a person who sounds suspicious to you.

– If your SIM card is locked or it shows an error message like “no valid,” immediately get in touch with your service provider and block your number. 

– You can also avail of the SIM lock facility. It will help keep your details safe.

– Following this, block your UPI and internet banking.

– Keep changing your passwords at regular intervals.

– Keep a check on your account details. 

– In case of any fraudulent transaction, you must inform the bank immediately. 

– You can opt for a two-factor authentication security feature. It will help keep your details safe.

How long does it take to crack passwords?

Recently, Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma spoke about how much time a hacker takes to crack passwords. He also spoke about the importance of passwords.

Mr Sharma said that it is the length of the password that matters the most. He has shared a detailed chart on X – formerly known as Twitter. The note attached to it read, “It is the length of the password that matters most. Add a few small caps to make one.”

It is length of password that matters most. Add few small caps alphabets too to make one. pic.twitter.com/CATY4gSEPk

— Vijay Shekhar Sharma (@vijayshekhar) October 14, 2023

For number-only passwords, the time taken by a hacker can vary from “instantly to six days” depending on its characters. 

Israel today continued to bombard Gaza as its troops pressed into the enclave with a ground assault. Israel has been pounding Gaza after Hamas attacked Israeli towns on October 7 and killed about 1,400 people. The Hamas operatives also took at least 239 hostages.

According to the Israeli government, more than half the hostages held by Hamas have foreign passports from 25 countries, including 54 Thai nationals.

Medical authorities in the Gaza Strip on Sunday said that 8,005 people – including 3,324 minors – had been killed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to “crush” Hamas operatives, who have an extensive tunnel network in and around Gaza City.

Here are the live updates on the Israel-Hamas war:

Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy’s 70-hour work week comment has sparked a huge debate online. Mr Murthy made the remark on a podcast hosted by former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai.  

Now, days after the interview, Mr Pai has shared “interesting data”. He added that NR Narayana Murthy’s “advice was for youngsters.” The data talks about how many hours each week do urban men between the age group 15 and 59 work? The illustration also featured India’s map along with region-wise data. As per the illustration, the Indian average stands at 61.6 hours per week. The source of the data was Time Use Survey (2019). 

Mr Pai said, “Interesting data! This is for all ages. NRN advice was for youngsters, people below 30! Prosperity needs hard work, data shows.”

Interesting data! This is for all ages. NRN advice was for youngsters, people below 30! Prosperity needs hard work, data shows pic.twitter.com/15j6nCd9uA

— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) October 28, 2023

NR Narayana Murthy, on the first episode of  3one4 Capital’s podcast ‘The Record’, said, “India’s work productivity is one of the lowest in the world. Unless we improve our work productivity, unless we reduce corruption in the government at some level, because we have been reading, I don’t know the truth of it, unless we reduce the delays in our bureaucracy in taking this decision, we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress.”

He added, “So therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say ‘this is my country. I’d like to work 70 hours a week”.

Giving an example of how other nations have enhanced their productivity, Mr Murthy said, “This is exactly what the Germans and Japanese did after the Second World War…they made sure that every German worked extra hours for a certain number of years.”