Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad   

Online transactions from cyber cafes risky

HYDERABAD: Think twice if you are making any online transactions from a cyber café. There is possibility of fraudsters learning every key stroke made by a browser, including user names and passwords, from a computer by installing ‘keylogger’ software!

Police on Monday arrested V. Vijaya Kumar, 23, worker of a cyber café who allegedly purchased a mobile phone after securing a browser’s internet banking username and password in this fashion. Shahnawaz Zubair, who purchased the mobile phone from Kumar, too landed behind the bars.

The keylogging, also known as keystroke logging, is the system of clandestinely tracking the keys struck on a computer keyboard without the knowledge of the person using the keyboard. The keylogger software transmits recorded data from the target computer to a monitor at a remote location either by uploading to a website or periodically e-mailing to a pre-defined e-mail address.

A diploma holder in computer applications, Kumar from Kaikalur of Krishna district worked as car driver in Hyderabad as he could not secure job in software sector. Later, he completed another software course and joined as a part-time employee in a cyber café at Ramnagar.

Since the salary was not enough to meet his expenses, Kumar allegedly hatched a plot to secure online transaction details of others and make money. He secretly installed keylogger software in the computers of the cyber café he was working. A browser having an account with HDFC bank made an online transaction from this cyber café on November 29.

As the keylogger software passed on the browser’s bank account username and password to Kumar’s e-mail id, he purchased Nokia N-97 mobile phone by making online payment using the same. Later, he sold off the phone worth Rs. 30,600 for Rs. 20,000 to Zubair, a mobile phone vendor.

Based on a complaint lodged by the browser, the Cyber Crime Police Station of Crime Investigation Department registered a case under Information Technology Act. They caught Zubair and Kumar after analysing the call data record of the mobile phone purchased online.

Zubar was arrested because purchasing stolen or fraudulently obtained mobile phones or computers is a crime as per the recent amendment made to the Information Technology Act. The CID officials appealed to people not to make online transactions from cyber cafes. The cyber café managements too would be held responsible if they do not make sure that no spy software is installed in their computers.

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