While free messaging apps are currently the rage among users, some hackers and cyber security professionals claim that such apps allow easy access to Internet companies. According to a report by TOI, a team of hackers even demonstrated that text messages sent through a particular Chinese free messaging app can be decrypted. Internet companies, through these apps, can access and steal personal data including location, contacts, email and more.
The report also said that foreign governments could use these apps for surveillance and spying. The demonstration was carried out at The Hackers Conference in Delhi on Sunday, where privacy issues with free messaging apps was just one of several things that were discussed. The participants at the conference claimed that despite increasing number of attacks, the government was still not utilising the potential of hackers. Several hackers present at the conference were part of the mainstream IT industry (contributing as security experts), investigating for government data and documents, and so on. Kishlay Bharadwaj, a freelance security analyst and organising member of the conference reportedly said, “The public sector doesn't hire freshers. There is also a misplaced idea that all hackers are criminals. They are just people who are technically sound. There is a 16-year-old hacker who is being paid Rs 4 crore per annum by a leading search engine. The Indian government should understand how important cyber security is.” He also added that social networking sites, search engines and software companies pay hackers around Rs 1 lakh per month. Dinesh O Bareja, an advisor with Cyber Defence Research Centre, Jharkhand police and state IT department, addressed the audience on how the 'bug bounty' system is being used effectively. The Jharkhand police is the first government body to reward people who are able to find loopholes on any website or IT infrastructure of government departments.
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