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Page 105 - Cyber Safety C-6
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    21 st   #Critical Thinking
                                                                                                 Century
                                                                                                 Skills  #Technology Literacy

                      Tanish, studying in Bengaluru, had just received a new tablet for his birthday. Excited, he began setting
                      it up immediately. His parents reminded him to create strong passwords and turn on screen locks,
                      but Tanish felt he already knew everything about technology. He quickly set the tablet password as
                      “Tanish123” and skipped the optional Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) because it “looked complicated.”
                      The next week, Tanish travelled with his family to the airport. As soon as they reached the waiting
                      area, he noticed a free Wi-Fi network named “Airport_Free_Wifi123”. Without thinking, he connected
                      instantly, ignoring the pop-up warning that said: “This network is public and may not be secure.”

                      While browsing, Tanish searched  for  a science  project  video.  A link popped  up:  “Download Free
                      Project Template – No Login Needed!” Without checking the URL or HTTPS symbol, he clicked it. A file
                      downloaded instantly, followed by a strange screen freeze.
                      A few minutes later, he received a message on his tablet pretending to be from his school portal:

                      “Urgent: Your Homework Upload Failed. Re-enter your password immediately.”
                      Tanish typed it in… without realising the message was fake.

                      Later that evening, Tanish started receiving strange emails and pop-ups. His school portal password
                      stopped working and someone even tried logging in at midnight.
                      Things became  worse the  following day.  During an online  gaming  session,  a new user named
                      “ProMasterX” sent him a friend request. ProMasterX praised his gaming skills and gifted him several
                      special  in-game  items.  Feeling  flattered,  Tanish chatted  for long hours. The stranger  slowly asked
                      personal questions like:

                      “Which school do you go to?”

                      “Are your parents at home in the evenings?”
                      Tanish shared small details without thinking—they didn’t feel harmful. Eventually, ProMasterX asked
                      him  to “prove” he was real by  sending  a photo  of his room.  When Tanish hesitated,  ProMasterX
                      threatened to leak screenshots from their chat.

                      Scared, Tanish shut the app and did not tell anyone. The next morning at school, his class teacher
                      informed him that unusual messages had been sent from his school account and a cyberbullying
                      report had been filed under his name. Tanish burst into tears and finally confessed everything to his
                      parents.
                      His parents immediately  informed the school IT  team.  They discovered  that  the suspicious  file
                      downloaded at the airport had installed malware, which stole his password. The insecure public Wi-Fi
                      made it worse by allowing attackers to monitor his online activity.

                      The school’s cyber team reset his account, removed the malware and coached Tanish on digital safety.

                                                                                                          Digital Tale  103

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