• Mumbai's senior executive becomes victim of cyber hacking

    National
    Mumbai's senior executive becomes victim of cyber hacking

    A senior executive of Mumbai's multinational firm has become a victim of cyber hacking lately. 


    Digital Desk: Cyber hacking has evolved as one of the most reported incidents in today's digitalized world. Another such incident has taken place in Maharashtra. 

    Chandan Kumar, 52, a top executive with a multinational firm in Mumbai, is possibly India's most well-known cyber hacking victim to date. Since October 2021, his social media accounts, phone numbers, debit and credit card details, Aadhaar, and passport have all been hacked. 

    A police report was filed, and an ethical hacker was hired to track out the mystery hacker behind the occurrence. 

    Kumar is from a well-to-do family. Before returning to India, he worked for international central banks and lived in London and Singapore for eight years. His family's existence, which includes his wife Mausumi, a daughter, and a son, has now become a nightmare. The Kumars have mislaid not only their privacy but even their peace.

    "Calls are being made automatically from mine and my wife's phone numbers." Several applications are installed automatically," Kumar, a Navi Mumbai resident, described. 

    "Our mobile phone, emails, and social networking accounts are all under the hacker's control." We've become his puppets, and we're helpless to prevent him. We've been reduced to mere spectators."

    The unknown hacker can call Kumar's relatives and friends multiple times a day, giving a false impression that Kumar or Mausumi is calling. The hacker remained silent once a phone call or WhatsApp voice was answered. When Kumar was home, he could see Mausumi dialling his number as she was occupied with household duties but did not call him in real.

    The hacker ruined their plans by calling everyone on their contact list on February 25, when they were preparing to celebrate their wedding anniversary. 

    The villagers then called the Kumars to find out what was wrong. "When my phone was on aeroplane mode, he made WhatsApp calls to family members in the United States and my sister-in-law in Jharkhand." 

    The hacker turned the aeroplane mode off. He turned on the wi-fi and downloaded Kasamba, an app, while inputting OTP (one-time-password) right in front of my eyes. "He can read, write, and hear whatever I say," Kumar described.

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