Malware and online threats continue to disrupt, damage, affect, and squeeze out benefits. However, the Government of India is here to provide us with a safer cyber environment and help users battle online threats. The centre can be used for timely detection, cleansing, and minimising its implications on our gadgets. This is an initiative as a part of Digital India under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Also Read: Simplifying cybersecurity: From risk assessment to recovery
The government has set up a cyber agency, “Cyber Swachhta Kendra” (CSK), which has a botnet cleaning and malware analysis centre with special tools developed with the help of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and a few anti-virus companies. This can be used to clean a gadget that has been infected by malware.
If you have a phone or a PC and suspect malware, this might be the right choice for you. These tools are available for Windows devices through their respective app stores. The following are the free botnet removal tools that are provided by the CSK:
- eScan Antivirus
- K7 Security
- Quick Heal
The user can download the antivirus from the official website. However, the option to be selected would depend on the user’s hardware architecture—32-bit or 64-bit. After the user is done with the setup, they can run the tool to clean up the malware or bot. Apart from these, the website also provides the user with additional tools that will add another layer of safety to the USB drives and web pages. Note that Microsoft Windows machines running Windows 10 or later come with a built-in anti-virus called Windows Defender.
The portal of CSK lists down two applications for Android phone and tablet users in order to clean the botnet malware from the device. The apps provide the user with a security toolkit for the phones that are running Android. The following two applications can be downloaded from the Play Store:
- eScan CERT-In Bot Removal
- M-Kavach 2 (by C-DAC Hyderabad)
One can either download them from the Google Play Store or tap on the official website to access them. Once it is on the user’s gadget, they can run it to scan for malware. Another application that has been designed for Windows is AppSamvid Software. It allows only whitelisted applications to function on the computer. This helps in securing the users from threats like viruses and trojans.
Further, the JSGuard extension of the browser protects the browser from attacks from any malicious Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or Javascript attacks. It further sends alerts to the users about any malicious web pages. Additionally, it also provides the users with a detailed report.
The cyber agency has other useful tools that can help you safely operate external storage devices like pen drives and hard discs. The app ‘USB Pratirodh’ can be installed on the Windows device to monitor devices plugged into the machine. You can also password-protect the USB devices, scan for malware, and encrypt data using the same application.
Also Read: New Daam malware poses threat to Android phones: key details
In addition all these steps, the government recently alerted all the users of a “highly dangerous” Daam Android botnet. The CERT-IN, which is an Indian cyber agency, issued an advisory against “Daam.” This botnet is responsible for stealing personal data, fooling the antivirus, or deploying any ransomware on affected gadgets. It also facilitates communication with other APK files on the infected Android device. The botnet was spreading through the dark web and applications that users tend to download.
