If you use CyberCafe to do Banking Transaction, Then you must read this

Every time you make an online bank transaction at a cyber cafe, you run the risk of losing all the money in your account, since you could leave traces of your password on the computer. A 27-year-old hacker, who used special software to get nearly 100 bank account passwords from cybercafes, was arrested in Bangalore. "It's a major crime," said SP (Cyber Crime-CoD) B A Mahesh. The hacker is Joseph, a diploma holder in computer science from Virudhunagar district, Tamil Nadu. A Bangalorean since 1999, he worked as a data entry operator before losing his job two years ago. Joseph came under the scanner of sleuths investigating a complaint lodge recently by Carl Braganza, HR manager at a software company. Braganza claimed that someone had hacked into his Citibank account on Oct 10 and defrauded him of Rs.1.27 lakh: Rs.87,200 was used to recharge cellphones and Rs.40,000 transferred to another bank account in Mumbai. The sleuths traced the hacker's IP address to Anu Cyber Cafe in Mahadevapura. They zeroed in on Joseph on November 29. When interrogated, Joseph confessed. Mahesh said Joseph visited cybercafes and installed a free software called 'Key Logger' on computers. "The software captures every stroke on the keyboard. If a person is checking his bank account on the net, all the details are recorded," he said. The number of visitors to cybercafes is high during the first week of the month, when people come to check their salaries. Joseph then went to the computer where he had installed the software and retrieved the data. Once he had the account details, he transferred money to his associates, who charged him a commission. The group recharged others' cellphones at discounted prices from the hacked accounts. " It is similar to a cellphone thief selling a stolen handset for half its original price," sleuths said. Some DOs and DON'Ts for those assessing sites at cyber cafe. DON’Ts Don’t leave personal documents at places where it can be picked up or viewed by others. Don’t log into online account from an insecure network. Don’t enter your log-in details on a website unless you are sure it is secure. A lock at the bottom or ‘https’ in the address field are signs of a secure website. Don’t follow links to banking sites. Don’t respond to e-mails that ask you to enter your bank details. Dos Type the bank’s URL yourself. Use other methods to enter details. Some banks have on-screen keyboards to avoid key presses. Scan your computer and update anti-virus software regularly. Times of India dated 15.12.2007