Course: Information Systems for Managers

Internal Assignment Applicable for June 2022 Examination

Answer 1
Introduction
In today’s world, where most businesses operate in the online and digital platform, cyber-
crimes have taken center stage and whole new genre of activities related to cyber-crimes has
threatened the operations of various businesses. Since, nowadays everything is mostly done
online, be it shopping or banking or ordering anything using our debit and credit cards, it is
imperative to have high security and various levels of authentications for conducting any kind
of financial transactions online. Cybercriminals often target networks and computers which
lack internet security.

Concept & application:

Below are the five threats that a bank or corporate may face
.
1. Phishing- Phishing is a mechanism through which hackers use similar looking webpages
of legitimate websites to download consumer information. Phishing techniques are used
to convince customers into making financial transactions or take actions by clicking on
malicious links so that the hacker can obtain all the required information of the customer.
There are various types of phishing, which include Email Phishing, spear phishing, clone
phishing, whaling, pop-up fishing, vishing, etc. All kinds of phishing us compromised
source to dupe customers by designing copies of legitimate websites and payment
gateways.

2. Malware- Malware is malicious software which hacks a computer when a user clicks on
a suspicious attachment or a malicious link. Malware can also be transmitted through usb
devices and also pop up ads. There are different types of malware such as ransomware,
worms, Trojans, spyware, etc. Once the hacker installs malware inside the system, the
malware can cause system to crash or give out confidential information to agents outside
the network such as passwords, credit card details, banking data, etc, and may impact the
machines with viruses and worms and make them inoperative.

3. Denial of Service Attack- The DOS is a method by which crackers slow down the
computer or the website that the user is trying to access. Cracker exploit the three step
handshake request, which includes firstly the user sends a connection request to the
server, followed by the second step in which the server responds by sending an
acknowledge post which the user send specific request. During a DOS attack, the cracker
sends thousands of specific requests from various machines, slowing down the server, and
a legitimate user continues to wait indefinitely. As the numbers of computers are many, it
is extremely difficult to spot the cracker. Crackers generally infiltrate many computers at
once which act as zombies for these crackers. Easy targets are corporate offices or
universities and colleges.
4. SQL Injection- SQL or Structured Query Language is a computer language used to
communicate with various databases. It is used for both uploading and downloading of
data from the various servers and data management systems such as Oracle, Microsoft
SQL, etc. The SQL Injection is a technique by which cyber attackers use SQL to corrupt
databases, by injecting an infectious code. They generally enter vulnerable websites and
they can view, change or delete data especially if the data is unencrypted.

5. Man in the middle- The MITM attack happens when a hacker installs himself within the
communication between e-commerce company personnel and the user. This happens
mainly when unsecured wifi or public wfi is used. Using the information during such
communication, the hacker may steal the data or install malware or worms.

The five innovative IT security mechanisms to help the retail chain safe in the cyber world
are given below:-
1. Encryption of data- This is the technique where human communication is converted
into numeric or alphanumeric codes using keys which have no meaning, so that even
if somebody reads it or steals it, they will not be able to decipher the communication.
A key is a set of digits or characters used to encrypt or decrypt data. The encrypted
text is called cyphertext while the original text is called plaintext. Encryption consists
of keys which are shared between the receiver of the message and the sender of the
communication. This helps in avoiding attacks by Hackers and MITM attackers.

2. Firewall- A firewall is a software or hardware control device that sits between two
networks or two network segments. A firewall monitors both outgoing and incoming
data and is connected to the IP address of the user. It works based on the rules placed
by the user, for example, ‘disallow all packets from youtube.com’. Firewalls are
extremely effective in maintain securirty within organisations. However, they may
slow the computers, hence, to ensure computer speed, firewalls are now built as part
of hardware in the computer system.

3. Virtual Private Network- This allows an employee to access the organization network
securely from outside the network. This is extremely important in these times where
remote working is on the high. VPN is like a tunnel used by users to connect to a
network using public internet. VPN uses encryption and password authentication for
users to maintain secured access.

4. Wireless Fidelity- Wireless technology relies on radio waves of different frequencies

to connect with each other. These frequencies have different ranges called bandwidths
or spectrum and carry data at varying distances. Wifi is being used by a lot of devices
these days including mobile, TV, laptops etc. Using secured wifi allows the user to
access securely and avoids hacking.
 5. Educating the team- Educating the team about various internet security threats enables
people to be aware of such scams and prevent malwares and other Trojans to enter.
This is the most effective way to stop hacking of data and regular training is necessary
based on the progress of cybercrime.

Conclusion:
In order to prevent the above mishaps, the retail chain must take innovative measures of
security at local level and at company level. Hence, to avoid some of these contingencies, the
chain must verify third party payment gateways and disallow employees to use outside
networks or use usb sticks. However, the security needs to be updated from time to time as
cybercrime also evolves from time to time.
Answer 2
Introduction
E-governance refers to transactions amongst governments and citizens (G2C), using
information and communication technology to demonstrate government objectives with more
transparency and responsibility. E in the E-governance stands for electronic and is a part of
networking applications. E-governance provides better facilities or services to its citizens, in
an efficient manner and also improves access by citizens to government services. In other
words, e-governance is a medium used by the government to interact with citizens
electronically. Various e-governance initiatives have been launched by governments of
various countries from time to time.

Concept & application

G2C communications usually involve information and communication technology (ICTs),
but may also include direct mail and media campaigns. The governance G2C model includes
all actions undertaken by the government for the population. Various e-governance schemes
have been launched by the state and central governments of India.

National e-Governance Plan provides a general overview of various e-governance initiatives.

Various e-governance initiatives in India have been Bhoomi Project (Karnataka online
shipping of Land records), KHAJANE (Karnataka end to stop automation of government
treasury machine), E- Seva (Andhra Pradesh), E- courts and E- Districts, and so forth. The
concept of digitization by the government has helped especially in times of the pandemic.

Bhoomi Project- E-governance (Karnataka)

Integration of Bhoomi e-governance project in Karnataka, under joint venture of Central and
State Government was launched in the year 2000. This software keeps digital records of land
registration along with Record of Right, Tenancy, and Crop (RTC) information, mutation
records and revenue maps. They act as a conduit between the land registration department
and acquiring bodies long with banks and financial institutions, which has eased out the
mechanism of sale/transfer of land. The same has resulted in reduced wait time along with
removing human involvement and streamlined various departments of land and registration
and records. Anybody can login (https://www.landrecords.karnataka.gov.in/service84), which
is the official website of Bhoomi and upload necessary land documents to register. Once the
land records are registered with Bhoomi, people can remotely view such details.

In many states of India, land records are maintained manually, especially in rural areas. This
led to a lot of fraud, bribery and corruption. However, when Bhoomi was launched in 2001, it
brought transparency, effectiveness in management and maintenance of land records in real
time. The Central government is also contemplating of replicating Bhoomi Projects in other
rural areas of the states.

The advantages of Bhoomi are especially targeted for the betterment of farmers and rural
areas where illiteracy and poverty are high. Some of the advantages for the downtrodden by
implementing Bhoomi are as follows:-
 Land records can be obtained, which may be used for availing bank loans and easy
process for land acquisition.
 Finger print (Bio-metric) authentication during sale or transfer of land, to ensure full proof
system
 Record of Right, Tenancy, and Crop (RTC) or pahani which provides details related to
type of land, ownership, land measurement, tenancy, soil type, crops grown, etc can be
obtained.
 Mutation request for sale or inheritance can be placed and such status can be checked in
the portal.
 Crop data can be obtained by I-RTC for insuring crops and further insurance claim.
 Disputed Land documents can also be registered on Bhoomi and accessed easily.
 Easy maintenance and prompt updating of historical land records, whenever required
 Land records and pampers become tamper-proof and reduce time of various process
cycles
 Farmers can easily access to their land records and avail bank loans
 A great guide for planning and formulation of development programmes as it provides
huge database for type of soil, land holding size, type of crops grown, cropping pattern,
land use, etc
 No scope for bribery, theft, corruption or tampering of legal documents.

Conclusion:
Bhoomi E-governance is used by various departments such as Department of Survey,
Economics and Statistics, Forest Department, Horticulture, Agriculture etc, which has
reduced effort and time significantly. However, security measures are also to be ensured so
that the software can be protected from hackers and online tampering of data. Governments
are changing their ways of providing services to citizens linking several infrastructures and
communication packages suitable for citizens' cultural, ecological, and financial values.
Answer 3. a
Introduction:
Smart cities are those locations which have state of the art facilities and amenities provided
by the government to its residents for better living conditions. The government provides
smart solutions in terms of energy management, waste management, general infrastructure,
power, utilities etc, using modern techniques and integrating using the ICT framework. The
smart city also uses IT for e- governance, education and healthcare. The concept of smart city
was launched in 2016, with the aim to provide better quality of life along with economic
growth.

Concept & Application:

I will choose Bengaluru as the benchmark for making Mysuru as the smart city. Bengaluru
has been called the Silicon Valley of India and has progressed way faster than many other
cities in the country. In essence, from sanitation to healthcare, to IT hubs, to education hubs,
to being culturally rich, Bengaluru provides great living conditions. Moreover, Bengaluru can
serve as the benchmark, also because culturally Mysuru and Bengaluru are very similar, they
both fall in the same state of Karnataka and replicating the smart city services of Bengaluru in
Mysuru will be easier in terms of sanctions by the different government bodies and easy
implementation by contractors who have already delivered projects in Bengaluru, like the
metro project. Following are some of the best practices of Bengaluru that can be emulated in
Mysuru.
1. Development of IT hub, because Bengaluru has a lot rush in terms of setting up
corporate offices, which are becoming more expensive day by day. The offices can be
shifted to Mysuru in an IT hub, as it is very near to Bengaluru, and will not have any
location and supply chain constraints. Work culture may also be similar and not get
impacted.
2. Development of better accommodation and recreation facilities for tourists as Mysuru
has seen a steady increase in number of tourist footfalls. It can look at expansion of
eateries and shopping areas, still holding the cultural values of karnataka. Such
revenue from tourists will impact the city positively. Bengaluru has become very
cosmopolitan in terms of its recreation, which can be emulated in Mysuru.
3. Build good education system, as Bengaluru has a lot of student footfalls and has a
very strong base of education system. Since Bengaluru has a lot of job potential, new
and state of the art educational campuses can be built in Mysuru in order to develop
the city as an education hub, and it can cater to job requirements in the entire
Southern India, including Bengaluru and Chennai.

Conclusion
Smart city projects are progressive real time and it always targets to ensure cities are having
economic growth while the quality of life is good and there is adequate law and order in the
city. However, balance is required while developing cities into smart cities keeping in mind,
various cultural and religious constraints along with present ways of livelihood of the
residents of the particular cities.
Answer 3.b
Introduction:
The goal of creating a smart city is to ensure that such cities are well equipped with state of
the art infrastructure facilities along with proper law and order that can help maintain the
towns' security. This may inspire in incentivizing other cities and towns to undertake similar
standards and guidelines to be part of the smart city initiative. Families and individuals
relocate to various cities for different reasons, the most prevalent being jobs. Water,
sanitation, energy, clean air, education, healthcare, safety, and pleasure are all need for
humans that are not provided well in many towns even today. Hence, it is imperative to
understand the economic and infrastructure status of the city before any initiative under smart
city program is planned and implemented.

Concept & application:

Smart cities require heavy investments to build infrastructure and social facilities. An
investor-friendly town needs to have the correct infrastructure and clean and transparent
online processes that make it simple to begin with investment for development.

ICT is vital in integrating many components of the smart city concept. Moreover, although
some cities have ICT infrastructure, they are not well utilized. In order to make successful
transition of cities in their present state to becoming smart cities in future, local governance
and implementation groups must have focused strategy, skills, and infrastructure for effective
project implementation.

Following innovative technology may be used to improve Mysuru as a smart city

1. Artificial Intelligence: Since Bengaluru is well developed within the IT genre, its
neighboring city, Mysuru can be made a hub of synthetic intelligence technology. Synthetic
Intelligence is the opposite of Artificial intelligence in the manner that it is not under
limitation of machines and is more real, human-like intelligence in machines. This will not
only develop Mysuru as a smart city but will also assist in differentiating it from Bengaluru.
In many other cases, Mysuru could be perceived as an extended part of Bengaluru while such
IT initiatives collaborate in future. This era can also be used on the cultural websites in
Mysuru to explain the ancient significance and improvement of that place as it is.

2. Geospatial Technology: This technology is used by smart cities to analyze consumer

behavior to understand the path of project implementation in future. It could also be used to
understand disasters that affect the ecosystem. Because Mysuru is to be developed as a smart
city and it is already considered as one of the cleanest cities in the country, this technology
could be very effective to assist the city in growing itself sustainably from very scratch. This
era would assist Mysuru in developing it as one of the most environmentally friendly cities.

Conclusion:
An efficient municipality corporation can meet the needs of the residents by using clever
technology devices. Cities are already using digital solutions to better their residents’ lives.
However, most effective cutting-edge generation enables smart city’s long-term expansion.
Intelligent corporates continually regulate societal behavior and produces products and
services for the betterment of the future, which is environmentally friendly.