The fault in our Census: What went wrong in Pakistan's First ever Digital Census

 

Pakistan's first ever digital census was conducted by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) in  first quarter of 2023. 

Census is a survey or population count within a specific geographic area or country, usually conducted by a government authority. The primary purpose of a census is to gather detailed demographic, social, economic, and housing information about the population.

A census answers questions related to:

How many people live in the area? Their distribution of age group, gender, religion, race, ethnicity, marital status.

 

Individual's Income group, education, languages they speak, etc.

 

Individual's access to facilities like healthcare, internet, commute.

 

How many households are there, and what is their size and structure.

What went wrong in digital census of Pakistan.

- Wrong enumeration methodology:

There are two basic ways to conduct census: 

de juro: to count people at their place of residence

de facto: to count poeple at their location on the date of census 

In 2023 survey, de juro approach was used. unlike the earlier census which combined both approaches to count people either at their place of residence or where they were on that day, this year's census had many drawbacks. In a metropolitan city like Karachi, which attracts a substantial number of both permanent and seasonal migrants seeking work and education, many of whom lack official residency documentation, it appears that the de facto approach is better suited. This method would offer a more precise reflection of the population physically residing in the city during the census and for a significant part of the year.

- Irregular gender specific growth ratio:

Consider the population dynamics in Balochistan, with certain regions experiencing remarkable growth rates of 8% to 9%, primarily driven by an increase in the number of newborn boys. This calls for a thorough examination of the gender and age distribution to ensure its accuracy. It seems implausible, both from a human and biological perspective, that the male population has surged significantly more than the female population.

- Missed deadlines

Deadlines to complete census and announce its results were missed and recalculated at least 6 times, which makes the overall process and its results doubtful.

- Incomplete questionnaire:

Census 2023 questionnaire had many problems, which includes, wrong or incomplete questions, not being able to select multiple answers for a question where applicable, no question on domestic water usage, income sources, and other important areas.

iPhone 15: Top issues users report

Apple's recent iPhone 15 release hasn't gone off without a hitch. 

Here are some of the problems that have surfaced so far:

1- iPhone 15 Heats up:

Users of the iPhone 15 have been sharing concerns about the device running excessively hot. There have been reports of the phone overheating during: 

• mobile gaming sessions
• recording high-quality 4K videos 
• charging the iPhone 15

It has been noted that the phone becomes uncomfortably warm to the touch, making it inconvenient for phone calls.

2- Sluggish Operating System:

This problem seems to be linked more to the recently released iOS 17 rather than being a direct issue with the iPhone 15 itself. Furthermore, it's worth noting that many apps might not have received updates tailored for either iOS 17 or the new iPhone yet. Therefore, any software-related glitches are likely to be resolved once these updates are rolled out.

3- Body Chipping Off

Most of the issues we've covered can potentially be resolved through a software update. However, what about concerns related to the physical construction? Users of the iPhone 15 have been raising issues with the new titanium body causing problems as well.

4- Durability

The primary challenge confronting the latest iPhone 15 lineup revolves around the device's durability, which is an inherent characteristic and cannot be resolved through a simple software update.

Several seasoned iPhone users have observed that the new flagship phone generation appears to be more prone to physical damage compared to older models.

Ultimately, the decision to invest in a smartphone today involves a delicate balance between addressing concerns about device reliability and evaluating the financial implications. It requires thorough research, careful consideration of personal priorities, and an awareness of the ever-evolving landscape of the smartphone market.

Chinese Search Results Spam | WordPress Site Hacked with Chinese alphabets

If you come across Chinese characters on your WordPress website, there's a strong possibility that your site has fallen victim to a cyber intrusion. This is a prevalent form of hacking referred to as the "Chinese Search Results Spam" hack. In this type of attack, malicious actors insert harmful code into your site's database or files, resulting in the display of Chinese spam content on your website. Typically, this spam content is unrelated to your website's actual content and might contain links leading to malicious websites.

1. Isolate the Site: 

If you have access to your web hosting control panel, take your site offline to prevent further damage. This might involve temporarily disabling your website by renaming or moving the WordPress directory.

2. Change All Passwords: 

Change the passwords for your WordPress admin account, hosting control panel, and any other related accounts. Use strong, unique passwords.

3. Scan for Malware: 

Use a security plugin or online tool to scan your website for malware. There are several plugins available for WordPress, such as Wordfence and Sucuri, that can help identify and remove malicious code.

4. Restore from Backup: 

If you have a recent backup of your website, consider restoring it to a clean state. Make sure you back up any compromised files and database for later analysis.

5. Update Everything: 

Once your website is clean, update WordPress, your themes, and plugins to their latest versions. Outdated software can be a common entry point for hackers.

6. Check File Integrity: 

Review all your website files for suspicious changes. Pay special attention to files like index.php and wp-config.php. Compare them to the original versions to check for unauthorized modifications.

7. Remove Unwanted Users: 

Check your WordPress user accounts and delete any unfamiliar or suspicious accounts. Ensure that your own admin account is secure.

8. Scan Server Logs: 

Review your server logs for any unusual or suspicious activity. This can help you identify how the hack occurred and whether there are any lingering issues.

9. Install a Security Plugin: 

After your site is clean, install a reputable security plugin to help prevent future hacks. These plugins can provide firewall protection, malware scanning, and other security features.

10. Monitor for Suspicious Activity: 

Regularly monitor your website for any unusual or suspicious activity. Set up security alerts or use a website monitoring service to notify you of potential issues.

11. Consider Professional Help: 

If you're unsure about the extent of the hack or how to clean it up, consider hiring a professional web security expert or a web security company to assist you.

12. Change Hosting Credentials: 

If you suspect that the hack might have compromised your hosting account, change your hosting account credentials as well.

13. Implement Strong Security Practices: 

Going forward, make sure you follow strong security practices, including using complex passwords, keeping software up to date, and regularly backing up your site.

Remember that recovering from a hack can be a complex process, and it's crucial to address the issue promptly. Additionally, it's important to identify and fix the vulnerability that allowed the hack in the first place to prevent future incidents.

Some Technical Stuff to prevent further attacks:

Some directives that can prevent ( or at least try to ) this from happening again .

.htaccess file in the root directory of WordPress.

#Disallow indexes 
Options All -Indexes

# protect wp-config.php
<files wp-config.php>
Order deny,allow
Deny from all
</files>

# WPhtC: Protect .htaccess file
<files ~ "^.*\.([Hh][Tt][Aa])">
order allow,deny
deny from all
</files>

robots.txt
Disallow: /wp-*
Another thing you can do is to force users (and yourself ) to use SSL ( HTTPS ) when login to admin:
define('FORCE_SSL_LOGIN', true);

Hope this helps you safe from any further attacks.