It was New Year’s Eve, a cold winter night. The temperature dipped to eight degrees in RWP/ISB, the kind that causes dramatic late-night cravings....
EXPERIENCE
It was New Year’s Eve, a cold winter night. The temperature dipped to eight degrees in RWP/ISB, the kind that causes dramatic late-night cravings. I ordered fried chicken with my favourite drink, that is, Coke. Delivery time: 45 minutes. Just awesome.
I went downstairs to get a drink of water and some chocolate as I waited for my meal. Everyone else in the house was asleep, the lights were dim, and the entire home was quiet. Nonetheless, my mind was completely awake and in a playful state.
Nahi, I ought to have ordered some fajita, or tikka-flavoured pizza as well. What should I watch while eating? Perhaps Silo or Stranger Things 5?
I was lost in thought when I heard someone say, “Hey!”
For a few minutes, I was frozen. “Choor?” (a robber?) Oh no. “Jin?”
Auzu billahi minash shaitan ir rajeem
Auzu billahi minash shaitan ir rajeem!
I recited Surah an-Nas, Ayatul kursi, and whatever duas and prayers came to my mind in that short span.
Has someone broken into the house?
My voice stuck in my throat out of fear. I tried to grab a knife. I knew that would not help much, but in my head I was trying to pull a ninja move. I wanted to scream loudly and then realised a second later that it was Alexa. My brother had changed its voice setting, which I did not know, and this AI almost gave me a heart attack at around 3 a.m. Not cool.
Jumping and rushing to my room out of fear, I opened YouTube and my screen was flooded with ads: fajita, tikka, crown crust pizza with extra cheese, KFC burger ads, and midnight deals, which multiplied my appetite ten times.
Is my phone spying on me? Is this AI algorithm reading my mind? This is so creepy.
I switched to Netflix. Somehow, the recommendations grew worse. The list included food, baking, and culinary television programmes and movies. After a while, my food arrived, and I finally started Stranger Things 5. I ate, watched the show, and honestly regretted my life choices. Want to know how? Continue reading.
The next day, on my way to university, I received a WhatsApp message:
“Congratulations! You’ve won an Apple smartwatch from your last order.”
It even mentioned the restaurant I had ordered from the night before, and I was like, “Wow. New Year luck. Zabardast! (Great)” Without pausing to think, I clicked the link. It asked me to enter a login and password to claim the prize. In my hurry, surprise and excitement, I entered my details. A blank white webpage appeared and nothing happened. I ignored it.
Later, after finishing my tasks, I went to a café to grab a coffee. While checking my phone, I received notifications from my banking apps about suspicious login attempts and multiple OTPs for credential change requests. My heart sank.
Then a friend messaged me, “Why are you posting Ray-Ban ads and random stuff on your Instagram stories? Check if your Insta has been hacked.”
Panic mode activated.
Everything clicked at that point, including the login page, the personalised message, and the fictitious award. A classic phishing attack, timed and emotionally charged. No hacking tools. No malicious software. Only deceit.
I changed my passwords immediately, enabled two-factor authentication, ended all active sessions, and reported the fraud. I was fortunate and did not lose anything. That day taught me that AI can scare you at midnight, suggest shows you do not want to watch, recommend food you do not need, and that phishing links created by scammers can be extremely convincing.
Oh, before I forget, Stranger Things 5 spoiler alert: Someone died far too easily, painfully disappointing. Someone might be alive according to Mike Wheeler’s theory, and the group of friends graduated from Hawkins School. You’re welcome. I just saved you some time. Hahaha. If you’ve made it this far, thank you for your patience.
If there is one thing to learn from this, it is to be wary of midnight hunger, phishing links, unusual messages, and Stranger Things Season 5. Clearly, I am disappointed by how it ended.
Instead, be informed about information security and social engineering strategies. Stay safe. Be technically sound. All the best.
-The writer is from the Information Security Department, NUST.
