Page 105 - Cyber Safety C-6

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