The objective of the blog is to provide a fair analysis and awareness of legal issues in an easy way for the understanding of the people at large
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Saturday, October 24, 2020
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Join the Biggest Virtual IPR Summit of the world with 5000 Participants
I hope you are doing wonderful
and your loved ones are safe. As you know we are just three months away from
IIPLA Virtual IP Summit 2020 and I am sure you are excited too as we are.
Seeing the kind of amazing
movement at IIPLA Virtual IP Summit 2020, I think you must participate to learn
the crux of the IP with recent developments and future prospects.
You may like to spread the word
in your network about IIPLA Virtual IP Summit 2020 for the benefit of others. I
am attaching the Coupon Code: TABR10 which you can use
for registration purposes. The Coupon code would enable a 10% discount on your
registration fee.
International Intellectual
Property law Association (IIPLA) is a non-governmental for-profit organization
that was formed in 2014. IIPLA’s mission is to promote Intellectual Property
and to discuss the issues and challenges faced by IP peers around the globe.
Thus, to find the solution and to enable IP peers to network and discuss,
different editions of intellectual property conferences and events are
organized in the USA, Europe, and UAE.
Due to overwhelming health and
safety concerns about COVID-19 and careful consultation with our team members,
IIPLA is going to organize Virtual IP Summit 2020 from Monday, October 19,
2020, to Friday, October 23, 2020.
With this IIPLA Virtual IP Summit
2020, we will cover a number of evolving IP issues. Our Virtual IP Conference
gives opportunities for online one on one Meetings, Branding, Exhibition, and
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"I am speaking
at IIPLA Virtual IP Summit 2020, and I look forward to seeing you there on
October 19-23, 2020."
Wednesday, July 08, 2020
Wednesday, July 01, 2020
Monday, June 29, 2020
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Technolex Launches a YouTube Channel
Hello,
Dear Blog Readers.
Hope you are fine and taking good care of yourself and your family in this difficult time of Corona Virus Pandemic the COVID-19.
First of all thank you very much for being the valued member of the Technolex Blog.
This gives us immense pleasure to celebrate the first decade of the Blog formation.
You may be aware that recently we have launched a YouTube Channel in the name of Technolex ( Transforming Legal Education and Profession Network).
The objective of the channel to provide a platform for transforming the legal education and legal profession Network by growing truthful knowledge, for strengthening the hope and aspirations of the masses, to boost their energy, strength and courage. To ensure peace, calm and justice to build up trust and confidence for the success of the people and the nation and humanity.
You may like the channel and subscribe from the following link.
You may also like to share among your network for the benefit of others.
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Saturday, June 13, 2020
Tuesday, June 02, 2020
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
Social and Moral Responsibility of the Individuals, Governments, and the Protection of Human Rights in the Coronavirus Pandemic (Covid-19)
Corona virus lead disease (Covid -19) pandemic has not only made
us all face toughest time in the last 80 years but also to the Governments
affecting almost all other spheres of life. It has been our testing times in
last 21 days in India and will continue to do so for a few more month ahead
until the entire virus is eradicated or until we find a medicine for it. During
these difficult times, we have multiple challenges of life, liberty, business,
trade, commerce, food, education, and it is very natural to fall into mood
swings, depressions, anxiety, fear and in some cases even suicidal.
Education is the most hit sector because of the Covid-19 pandemic
that has seriously affected the life and the teaching, learning process of
several million students and faculty globally. Because on March 11, 2020, the
World Health Organization (WHO) Citing concerns with “the alarming levels
of spread of Covid-19 and its severity, asked the Governments to take urgent
and aggressive measures to stop the spread of the virus. Educational
institutions were first to shut down. Because, WHO declared that the outbreak
of the viral disease COVID-19 first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China
– had reached the level of a global pandemic.
The scale and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic
clearly grows to the level of a public health emergency that could justify
restrictions on certain rights, such as those that result from the imposition
of quarantine or isolation limiting freedom of movement. At the same time,
careful attention to human rights like non-discrimination and human rights
principles such as transparency and respect for human dignity can foster an
effective response amidst the un-stability and disruption that inevitably
results in times of crisis and limit the damage that can emerge from the
imposition of overly broad measures that do not meet the said criteria. Human
rights law recognizes that in the context of serious public health threats and
public emergencies threatening the life of the nation, curtailment on some
rights can be justified when they have a legal basis, are strictly needed,
based on scientific evidence and neither arbitrary nor discriminatory in
application, of limited duration, respectful of human dignity, subject to
review, and proportionate to achieve the objective. As the International human
rights law guarantees everyone the right to the highest attainable standard of
health and obligates governments to take steps to prevent threats to public
health and to provide medical care to those who need it.
The Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi keeping
in mind the expected threats of Covid-19 timely imposed 21 days lock- down in
the country from 26th March to 14th April, 2020. As the
lock-down is the most effective way to break chain of the Coronavirus spread.
But the lock-down period thrown serious challenges and affected multiple sectors
including education not only India but also in almost all the affected 200
countries in the world. As Many countries have closed schools since
the COVID-19 outbreak, disrupting the learning and education of hundreds of
millions of students. In times of crises, schools provide children with a sense of stability and normalcy and
ensure children have a routine and are emotionally supported to cope with a transforming
situation. Schools also provide important aspects for children and their
families to know about hygiene, proper handwashing techniques, and adjusting
with situations that will break routines. Without access to schools, this prime
responsibility falls on parents, guardians, and caregivers. When schools are
closed, government agencies should step in to provide clear and accurate public health information through
appropriate media.
To ensure education systems sustain properly, UNESCO has recommended that affected countries to “adopt a variety of hi-tech, low-tech and no-tech
solutions to assure the continuity of learning.” In many countries, teachers
already use online learning platforms to complement normal contact hours in
classrooms for homework, classroom exercises, and research, and many students
have access to technological equipment at home. However, not all countries, communities,
families, or social
groups have adequate internet access, and lot of children live in locations
with frequent government-led internet shutdowns and in rural areas where there
is either poor network or there no network at all.
Therefore, UNESCO has recommended that
the online learning should be used to mitigate the immediate impact of lost normal school time.
Schools deploying educational technology for online learning should ensure the
tools protect child rights and privacy. Governments should attempt to recover
missed in-person class time once schools reopen after the pandemic gets over.
Governments should adopt measures to mitigate the disproportionate
effects on children who already experience challenges to education, or who are
marginalized for various reasons – including girls, those with disabilities,
those affected by their location, their family situation, and other
inequalities. Governments should focus on adopting strategies that support all
students through closures – for example, monitoring students most at risk and
ensuring students receive printed or online materials on time, with particular
attention provided to students with disabilities who may require adapted,
accessible material.
Governments should adopt mitigation strategies, for example by
working with teachers, school officials, and teachers’ unions and associations
to factor in plans to recover teaching or contact hours lost, adjusting school
calendars and exam schedules, and ensuring fair compensation for teachers and
school personnel who are working additional hours.
In countries with high numbers of out-of-school children, school closures may hampered efforts to increase school enrolments
and retention, particularly at the secondary level. Governments should place
additional measures to review compliance with mandatory education – and ensure
government education officials monitor school returns once schools re-starts.
Education officials should focus attention on areas with high incidence of
child labor or child marriage and ensure all children return to school.
Officials should also ensure that schools with refugee students adopt outreach
measures to ensure refugee children return to school, including by working with
refugee parent groups and community leaders[1].
Sudden school shutting down may also leave low-income families fighting to make
ends meet and provide necessities. Governments should ensure continued meal provision during school closures for
children in low-income families who will miss subsidized meals.
As the outbreak of Covid-19 still growing fast in the different
parts of the world with around 121,000 deaths globally, USA is the most
affected country with 23644 and Spain 18056, Italy 20465, France 14964, UK
11329, Iran 4683, Belgium 4157 and China 3341 deaths the country where the
initial outbreak occurred. The United States has also seen the highest number
of infections crossing 6 Lakhs which has a serious pressure on the health care
system.
However, India has less number of cases comparing to other foreign
countries (10564 infections and 358 deaths) but leaning from the nature of the
pandemic from the other countries our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi today
announced the extension of the lock-down up to 3rd May, 2020 for the
next 19 more days. This is a welcome step and well thought decision of Mr.
Narendra Modi but will further challenge the protection of Human Rights and put
extra pressure on the individuals and society. Our Prime Minister rightly
suggested the 7 points as follows to be taken care by us in line with our individual,
social and moral responsibility and ensuring the protection of Human Rights of
the suffering people as an urgent need of the hour[2].
1. Take care
of the elderly- The Prime Minister advised to take special care of the elderly
especially those with pre-existing illnesses.
2. Follow
Social distancing- He also said to strictly adhere to social distancing norms
that have been so far effective in combating coronavirus. He also advised using
face masks and covers. Home-made face masks can also be used.
3. Follow
AYUSH Ministry guidelines on improving immunity- It is important to build our
immunity to fight the coronavirus and the Prime Minister has asked to follow
the guidelines given by the Ayush Department. The department has suggested
ayurvedic remedies to increase immunity.
4. Download
Aarogya Setu app- To help with the combat of the virus, the prime minister has
asked for every citizen to download and use the Arogya Setu App. This app has
been developed especially to track coronavirus cases.
5. Help the
poor- He has also appealed to people to help the poor and needy especially by
providing food and protective gear such as face masks.
6. Compassion
for employees- The prime Minister asked employers to have compassion at such a
challenging time and to not fire anyone.
7. Respect
Frontline workers- The true warriors of the pandemic are the health care and
sanitary workers and the police who are risking their lives to protect
everyone. It is important to show respect to them.
There are people who are lucky to have work and working from home by
utilising the digital technology and positively contributing towards professional
and academic activities and getting self-satisfaction but there may be people
around you who may not have such an opportunity. There may be people in your own families and
society who may be having fear, mood swings, non- participation, Insomnia, loss
of appetite, loss of interest and ultimately affecting their mental
health. Therefore, please do not ignore
any symptoms like this if you see any of this in any member of your family and
society, please come forward and show, courage, care, compassion and most
importantly precautions. Only you can get your family out of fear by ensuring
good health for self and loved ones as your top priority. It is important to
save yourself from virus but it is even more important to save everyone from
mental ill health and support in the protection of basic human rights.
Therefore, you should always take care of yourself and be available to your
family and the society.
This is not only the responsibility of the Govt. to fight with the
Coronavirus Pandemic Covid-19 but we should collaborate with the Govt. and
provide full support in whatever manner we can do to get success against the
most difficult times of this century for the benefit of all of us.
[1] https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/03/19/human-rights-dimensions-covid-19-response#_Toc35446578
Visited on 14th April, 2020.
Tuesday, April 07, 2020
Social Distancing and Self-Isolation to Save Yourself from Coronavirus ( COVID-19)
It
is challenging to know at early stages when you are infected by the novel
coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease. There is a most common and rare
symptom loss of smell that could signal you must be tested. According to
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch, the
virus could ultimately infect between 40% and 70% of the population worldwide.
Some people might show no symptoms at all but many of those cases would be
mild, while the prospect of being infected with a new virus can be devastating.
The most symptoms are fever, coughing and shortness of breath. These symptoms
usually appear between two days and two weeks of exposure to the virus. Doctors
recently added "loss of smell" as a potential symptom that may show
up alone without any other symptoms. As
the coronavirus outbreak continues to accelerate Globally creating serious
worry among people.
As
COVID-19 is an infectious disease and grows faster among the people coming in
close contracts. Therefore, the social distancing and self-isolation have come
out as the best methods to avoid the fast spread of the disease. Most of the
countries adopted the methods of lock-down to avoid the community transmission
to control the disease.
Even
after all the protective measure the disease is still fast spreading globally
and creating fear and worry in the entire world as till now there is no direct
medicine to cure the decrease. Therefore keeping in mind the current situation
it is recommended that each person should take proper care about himself and
his family and stay at home to save lives.
As
the coronavirus outbreak continues to accelerate in the U.S., cleaning supplies
are disappearing off the shelves and people are worried about every subway
rail, kitchen counter and toilet seat they touch. A new analysis found that the virus can
remain viable in the air for up to 3 hours, on copper for up to 4 hours, on
cardboard up to 24 hours and on plastic and stainless steel up to 72 hours.
This study was originally published in the preprint database medRxiv on March
11, and now a revised version was published March 17 in The New England Journal
of Medicine. What's more, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found on "a variety of
surfaces" in cabins of both symptomatic and asymptomatic people who were
infected with COVID-19 on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, up to 17 days after
the passengers disembarked, according to a new analysis from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, this was before disinfection
procedures took place and "data cannot be used to determine whether
transmission occurred from contaminated surfaces," according to the
analysis. In other words, it's not clear if the viral particles on these surfaces
could have infected people. Another study published in February in The Journal
of Hospital Infection analyzed several dozen previously published papers on
human coronaviruses (other than the new coronavirus) to get a better idea of
how long they can survive outside of the body.[1]
The
new coronavirus spreads mostly through person-to-person contact within about a
6-foot (1.8 meters) radius, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). People with COVID-19, which is the disease caused by the
coronavirus, spread viral droplets, particles through coughing and sneezing.
The particles can land, on the face, in the mouth or nose of those nearby or by
touching a surface where the virus has recently landed and then touching one's
mouth, nose or eyes. Fortunately, ethanol, hydrogen-peroxide or bleach-based
cleaners are effective at killing those coronaviruses that do survive on
surfaces. Unlike some extremely
contagious pathogens, the virus is not thought to spread via smaller droplets
that can remain airborne for long periods. In a study of the stool samples of
those diagnosed with COVID-19 found that viral particles in those stools looked
viable under a microscope. "This means that stool samples may contaminate
hands, food, water, etc.," the China CDC wrote in the report. For
instance, if a person did not wash their hands after touching a surface
contaminated with infected stool residue, there is a chance they could become
infected if they touch their eyes, nose or mouth with their hands, Live Science
previously reported. To avoid catching the new coronavirus, health officials
recommend avoiding close contact with people who are sick. A facemask is not a
substitute for staying home when you are sick, Dr. William Schaffner, an
infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, recommends
avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Frequent hand-washing — 20
seconds, with soap and water — and 60%-95% alcohol-based hand sanitizers can
kill the virus.[2]
As per the Journal of
the American Medical Association, as many as 98% of COVID-19 patients
who were hospitalized had a fever, between 76% and 82% had a dry cough, and 11%
to 44% reported exhaustion and fatigue. As per the current WHO ( World
Health Organisation ) reports the coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 75,000
people worldwide, most of them in Europe and USA. Most affected nations have
called for complete lockdown to stop spread of the deadly virus.
The WHO said on 25th March, 2020 that countries which
have locked down their populations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus
need to use the time to find and attack the virus.
With around 75,000 deaths globally, Italy is the most affected
country with 16,523 and Spain 13341, USA 10871, France 8911, UK 5373, Iran 3739
and China 3331 deaths the country where the initial outbreak occurred. The
United States has also seen the 10871 deaths but the highest number of infections
crossing 4 Lakhs.
Coronavirus has now spread to over 205 countries across the world
affecting billions of people. "Asking people to stay at home and shutting
down population movement is buying time, and reducing pressure on health
systems. On their own these measures won't extinguish epidemics," said WHO
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. [3]
Physicians work with state health departments and the CDC to
determine who should be tested for the new virus. However, the CDC also
recommends that people with COVID-19 or any respiratory illness monitor their
symptoms carefully. If you become ill with the said symptoms and think you have
been exposed to the virus, the CDC recommends calling your doctor first rather
than traveling to a clinic worsening shortness of breath is reason to seek
medical care, particularly for older individuals or people with underlying
health conditions.
The disease appears to become more severe with age, with the 30-
to 79-year-old age range predominating the detected cases in Wuhan, where the
outbreak began, according to a study in JAMA. Children seem to be at less risk
of suffering noticeable symptoms of the disease. However, a recent study of
2,000 children confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19 found that 6% developed
severe or critical illness. The detailed study is published in the March 16
issue of the journal Paediatrics.
In more serious cases of COVID-19, patients experience pneumonia,
which means their lungs begin to fill with pockets of pus or fluid. This leads
to intense shortness of breath and painful coughing.
Govts in various countries
have taken right decision to lock down. This is one of the best strategy to
control the further spread of the Corona Virus. But the problem is that few
people in general not observing it seriously and taking it casual. As per the
rampant growth of Coronavirus and affecting the serious health issues around
the world and in India the social distancing and self-isolation is the best
strategy to save yourself from Covid-19.
Therefore, the entire individuals globally in general are required
to take necessary precautions and take good care of themselves and their near
and dear ones to ensure well-being of their families and the society in large. Humanity
has overcome many difficult challenges and together we can overcome.
Lockdowns are now imposed
in several countries. But the people are required to follow the lock down
seriously and ensure the following to save themselves form the infection of
Coronavirus (Covid-19) and get the real benefits and satisfy the real objectives
of the lock-down.
Family should identify only one adult in a family for going out.
Only he or she should go out. NOBODY ELSE.
•ONE dress: Use only one dress and same dress every time you go
out. Use full-length dress. Don't mix this dress with your other dresses.
•ONE wallet: Use only one wallet. Don't mix these currency, coins
and cards with other which already are there at home.
•ONE shopping bag: Use only one and same shopping bag every time.
•ONE vehicle: Use same vehicle and key. Avoid public
transportation.
•ONE go: Avoid going out multiple times. Finish all your work in
one go.
Avoid taking mobile phone or restrict using it.
Avoid crowding and come back immediately once you finish your
work.
Use your non - dominant hand or elbow to open the door or push the
buttons.
Once you come back: Keep your dress, wallet, bags, keys in a
separate bag. Do not mix with others.
We must embrace the social distancing and self-isolation, always
wash our hands, face thoroughly before touching anything and anyone, and always
use N-95 Masks. Clean our mobile phone surface with sanitizer.
We must remember that we CAN'T AVOID exposure but definitely we
CAN severely reduce its spread and impacts to avoid community transmission. As
the community, transmission has the potential to create havoc globally. If we
can avoid the community transmission, we can definitely save the world from the
most difficult time of the last two centuries.
Saturday, April 04, 2020
Corona Virus (Covid-19) Pandemic and Work from Home: Challenges of Cybercrimes and Cybersecurity
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to
biggest number of employees globally bound to work remotely. The people working
from home required awareness and knowledge of phishing scams, the fastest
growing type of cybercrime, many of which are now playing on fears of the
Coronavirus. Employees from organizations of all sizes and types now have
minimal cybersecurity resources, if any, compared to what is normally available
to them.
Organisations are required to ensure any endpoint
that an employee is using is fully protected. As the Absolute 2019 Global
Endpoint Security Trend Report showed, 42 per cent of endpoints are unprotected
at any given time. Therefore, the people working from home should immediately
get educated about their cyber privacy and cybersecurity failing which the
global cybercrime damage may costs as much as double by the end of this year.
As the home-working becomes the new normal,
criminals are seeking to capitalise on the widespread panic – and succeeding,
alas. New coronavirus-themed phishing scams are leveraging fear, hooking
vulnerable people and taking advantage of workplace disruption.
Cybercrime is the greatest threat
to every company in
the world, and one of the biggest
problems with mankind.
The impact on society is reflected in the Official
Cybercrime Report,
which is published annually by Cybersecurity
Ventures. The most effective phishing attacks
play on emotions and concerns, and that coupled with the thirst for urgent
information around coronavirus makes these messages hard to resist.
According to the report, cybercrime will cost the
world $6 trillion annually by 2021, up from $3 trillion in
2015. This represents the greatest
transfer of economic wealth in history, risks the incentives for innovation and investment, and will
be more profitable
than the global trade of all major illegal drugs combined.
Cybercrime costs include damage and destruction of
data, forensic investigation, restoration and deletion of hacked data and
systems, fraud, post-attack disruption to the normal course of business, stolen
money, lost productivity, theft of personal and financial data, embezzlement, and
reputational harm and theft of intellectual property. There are 10 tips on how to spot a
phishing scam. As the Phishing
emails usually want you to click on something, for instance to update your
payment details, or access the latest information on COVID-19.
People working from home should be aware on how to
detect and react to phishing frauds, and other types of cyber-attacks. If they
act immediately and thoroughly, then cybercrime damage costs can be contained
and kept at the current level. If the carelessness due to lack of awareness
will continue, it may cause heavy loss globally. As per the Cybersecurity
Ventures’ estimation that cybercrime damage costs could potentially double
during the Coronavirus outbreak period is concerned not only with phishing
scams, but also with ransomware attacks, insecure remote access to corporate
networks, remote workers exposing login credentials and confidential data to
family members and visitors to the home, and other threats.[1]
Malicious actors are also using COVID-19 or
coronavirus-related names in the titles of malicious files to try to trick
users into opening them. One example is Eeskiri-COVID-19.chm (“eeskiri” is
Estonian for rule), which is actually a keylogger disguised as a COVID-19 help
site. If unpacked, it will gather a target’s credentials, set up the keylogger,
and then send any gathered information to maildrive[.]icu.
The mention of current events for malicious attacks
is nothing new for threat actors, who repeatedly use the timeliness of hot
topics, occasions, and popular personalities in their social engineering
strategies. In haste to uncover the supposed good news you could inadvertently
reveal personal and professional secrets. Indeed, in these difficult times,
when it comes to cybersecurity, it’s worth to relax and ask yourself that to
Whom you should trust before proceeding on cyberspace.
Delhi Police issued advisory on cybercrime threat
amid coronavirus. People are advised to be careful before login to any website
and carefully check the authenticity of the website. Most of the website are
malicious and engaged in Phishing. Think very carefully before clicking on a
tempting link purporting to be from the World Health Organization (WHO), or
similar, with positive information about the cure for COVID-19. Chances are it will be a hacker preying on
your understandable anxiety about the coronavirus pandemic. Please be careful
and double cross check before login or clicking to any links and websites. The
following website have already been blocked and categorized as phishing sites.[2]
adaminpomes[.]com/em/COVID-19/index-2[.]php
mersrekdocuments[.]ir/Covid/COVID-19/index[.]php
bookdocument[.]ir/Covid-19/COVID-19/index[.]php
laciewinking[.]com/Vivek/COVID-19/
teetronics[.]club/vv/COVID-19/
glofinance[.]com/continue-saved-app/COVID-19/index[.]php
starilionpla[.]website/do
ayyappantat[.]com/img/view/COVID-19/index[.]php
mortgageks[.]com/covid-19/
cdc[.]gov.coronavirus.secure.portal.dog-office.online/auth/auth/login2.html
Data from artificial
intelligence endpoint security platform SentinelOne shows that from February
23, 2020 to till 4th April, 2020 there was an upward trend of
attempted attacks with peaks at 145 threats per 1,000 endpoints, compared to 30
or 37 up to 22nd February, 2020. In the UK alone, victims lost over
£800,000 to coronavirus scams in February, reports the National Fraud
Intelligence Bureau. One unlucky person in particular was left £15,000 lighter
after buying face masks that never arrived.
Banking trojan
malware is masquerading as a WHO-developed mobile application helping
individuals recover, or virtual private network (VPN) installers. And consider
that Check Point research shows some 4,000 COVID-19 domains have been
registered this year, many likely fronts for cybercrime. So-called ‘scareware’
will only ramp up as uncertainty rises and online searches increase as people
seek information about the outbreak and solutions,” predicts Terry Greer-King,
vice president of Europe, Middle East and Africa at California-headquartered
cyber organisation SonicWall. They know
people are looking for safety information and are more likely to click on
potentially malicious links or download attachments. Approximately 70 per cent
of the emails Proofpoint’s threat team has uncovered deliver malware and a
further 30 per cent aim to steal the victim’s credentials.
Due to high demand for virtual
conferencing and other collaboration, tools could expose more vulnerabilities
for hackers to exploit. Companies quickly adopting consumer-grade video
conferencing can make it easy for an attacker to pretend to be a member of
staff. Worryingly, Apricorn research published last year found that one third
of IT decision-makers admitted their organisations had suffered a data breach because
of remote working. Further, 50 per cent were unable to guarantee that their
data was adequately secured when being used by remote workers.
The UK government’s National Cyber
Security Centre published a home-working guide earlier this week that offers
tips for organisations introducing home working as well as highlighting the
telltale signs of phishing emails.
Computer viruses can spread just as
easily as human viruses. Just as you would avoid touching objects and surfaces
that are not clean, so should you avoid opening emails from unknown parties or
visiting untrusted websites. Keep you devices and networks secure. You may
use hand sanitiser to remove germs from your hands, and you should have an
effective antivirus solution to keep germs off your computers and networks.[3]
Home-working people
must follow the following Cybersecurity Tips for their Own Welfare.[4]
1.
Enable multi-factor
authentication wherever possible, adding another layer of security to any apps
you use. Additionally, a password manager can help avoid risky behaviour such
as saving or sharing credentials.
2.
Try to use VPN
solution with encrypted network connection. It is safe for the worker to access
IT resources within the organisation and elsewhere on the internet.
3.
Organisations should update their cybersecurity policy and include home and remote working. Ensure the policy
is adequate as your organisation transitions to having more people outside the
office. They need to include remote-working access management, the use of
personal devices, and updated data privacy considerations for employee access
to documents and other information.
4.
Employees should communicate
with colleagues for official matters using IT equipment provided by employers. There
is often a range of software installed in the background of company IT that
keeps people secure. If a security incident took place on an employee’s
personal device, the organisation – and the employee – may not be fully protected.
5.
Without the right
security, personal devices used to access work networks can leave businesses
vulnerable to hacking. If information is leaked or breached through a personal
device, the company will be deemed liable.
Hope the people working from home and the concerned organisations
understand the challenges of cybersecurity and follow the suggestions to be
able to get the genuine output in the ongoing difficult phase of life, business
and global economic downturn.
[1]https://cybersecurityventures.com/cybercrime-damage-costs-may-double-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/
. Visited on 4th April, 2020.
Scenario of the Corona Virus (Covid-19) in India
In the current lockdowns if the
proper physical distancing or compliance is not properly followed, the total
number of cases (asymptomatic, hospitalized and symptomatic) can even touch a
massive figure.
In the most likely (Medium)
scenario with moderate to full compliance but no change in virulence or
temperature/humidity sensitivity, the numbers of total cases can swell up to
few lakhs.
The optimistic (low) scenario
constitutes decreased virulence and temperature/humidity sensitivity. To reach
these numbers, Johns Hopkins and CDDEP -- a public health research organisation
-- used IndiaSIM, a well-validated agent-based model of the Indian population,
which has been published widely over many years and has been used for
government decision-making. According to the report, hospitalised cases can
reach up to 25 lakh people in the High scenario, 17-18 lakh people in Medium
scenario and 13 lakh people in Low scenario.
In what could spell real trouble
for the country in the next three months, a new report from prestigious Johns
Hopkins University and the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy
(CDDEP) has predicted that 21-day lockdown may be ineffective to stop the
COVID-19 peak arriving in April-May-June -- infecting few lakhs Indians in an
optimistic (low) scenario.
Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan,
director of the US-based Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, and
an advisor to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Bank, had
previously warned India that In a worst-case scenario, India would experience a
novel coronavirus high infection rate, which would see approximately majority
of confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the country, leading public health expert
estimates. India’s jam-packed cities and heavily crowded public transport
also throws a unique challenge to social distancing, which is necessary to curb
the spread of novel coronavirus. Now, in view of the effective enforcement of
lockdown measures and countrywide curfews that were recently enforced by the
Indian government, that worst-case number will not be very high. Furthermore,
an overwhelming majority of these infections are likely to be extremely mild.
In case if a high number of
people becomes ill, with few lakhs requiring intensive medical treatment would
put an immense strain on India’s healthcare system. In a worst-case scenario,
estimation is based on how transmissible the novel coronavirus would be in
India. If citizens fail to follow the social distancing, the virus would be as
transmissible as it has been in USA, Italy, Spain, UK, Germany, France, Iran
and China which will effectively take the worst-case numbers to higher side.
There are various agencies, who
have been consistently updating the countrywide COVID-19 infection status and
deceased, but in-fact due to less testing in the country the real number of
confirmed cases is significantly higher. It is almost impossible that this
[community transmission] could not have happened in a situation where about
tens of thousands of people travelled from different places of the world could
not properly tested during entry in the country and to imagine that none of
them carried the coronavirus.
We are required to upgrade the
medical facilities, expand testing, and spread awareness to promote careful
prophylaxis than to politicise the issues and irrationally connecting the
spread of the disease to a particular community. Now the role of media is very
important to provide the real picture and solace to the community than to play
dirty politics to improve their TRP. Rather than they should encourage the
community in seriously preparing for the mitigation, which would require making
several thousands of beds available in advance.
The Covid-19 is going to
testify few things about India like our health system capacity; our system of
governance on how much people listen to what the government is saying; and our
social structure, whether people are going to support and cooperate each other.[1]
As per the reports and
estimations, the Ventilator demand in India may go up to 1 million while the
current availability in India is estimated to be between 30,000 and 50,000
ventilators. People could need ICU treatment; India needs to urgently import
ICU equipment, ventilators and a range of medicines.
The possibility of infection to
doctors and nurses could further increase deaths in the general population.
Healthcare workers need personal protective equipment like masks and gowns to
protect themselves. In lack of the proper support they may get sick and
challenging, the potential of the health support system.
As per the current WHO reports,
the number of coronavirus, cases until 4th April 2020 have crossed three
thousand in India (good part is that very few are critical and more than 500
are recovered) and 11.5 lakhs globally (around 80,000 cases are mild condition
but around 40,000 cases are critical in nature) while the death toll crossed 86
in India and 61,000 globally.[2] Good thing is that around 236,000 cases recovered
globally. However, the coming weeks of April when peak may begin and delays in
testing are seriously reducing the ability of the people to protect themselves.
This is the most important way in which we can reduce the epidemic. A real
number of detected cases in the short term could encourage the people to take
social distancing more seriously and may reduce the panic compared to a big
challenge later on.
Learnings from China provides
that higher temperature and humidity may likely to lower the transmission rates
but it is not very clear that how this will affect the Indian scenario.
However, the best strategy is to be prepared for multiple peaks and should be
ready for any emergency happening later. People who will show symptoms next
week are already infected and incubating the virus. Some of these will transmit
before they are symptomatic. A large percentage of cases are mild, but for
older individuals, the mortality rate is strikingly higher. Children are less
likely to be infected and less likely to be hospitalized than adults are.
Illness is less likely to be severe in children than in adults, and the
infection rate is less likely in females than males.[3]
it is essential to test those who
have symptoms such as coughs, cold, fever or respiratory distress even though
they have no travel history or have not come in contact with an infected
person. Testing is important otherwise we will not know what percentage of
people with such symptoms are coronavirus-related as opposed to sufferers of
ordinary seasonal colds, coughs and flu. India govt. had acted promptly to
check entry into the country and while sensible steps like shutting schools,
colleges, theatres and cinemas and imposing lock-down in time but woefully the
testing is inadequate for a country with a 1.3 billion population.
There is no need to rush for
immediate testing but if you have a cold or cough or fever or respiratory
distress and it persist after about four days then you should get yourself
tested. If someone is quarantined at your house, then rest of the family
members should take commonsensical precautions but this does not mean that they
cannot enter the premises to serve eatables. They can actually hand the tray
over rather than leave it two feet away. You can wash the utensils used by such
a person or their clothes and there is no need to wear gloves but you must wash
your hand. There is absolutely no scientific basis for believing drinking
gaumutra and taking gobar baths could prevent the Coronavirus infection. There
is also no scientific basis for any of the homeopathic remedies that are being
suggested for the cure of Covid-19.[4]
[1]https://weather.com/en-IN/india/news/news/2020-03-23-covid-19-worst-case-scenario-30-crore-indian-infected-coronavirus.
Visited on 2nd April, 2020
[3]https://www.ndtv.com/health/coronavirus-india-may-see-25-crore-covid-19-cases-in-next-3-months-report-2201489.
[4] https://thewire.in/health/india-coronavirus-ramanan-laxminarayan
. Visited on 2nd April, 2020.
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