In this era of digital technology, shared information and social media you can not go a day without hearing somebody claiming they have been hacked. Athletes, celebrities, politicians and average citizens are the target of hackers who make a living by making our lives miserable. We could blame this on the hackers and those who educated them but some of the responsibility lies with us.
The skill of so-called hackers has reached new levels with the expansion of technology and the use of online websites to pay bills and store priceless information. Online passwords are used to secure emails, social media accounts, information at work, bank accounts and access to online medical records. People who frequent the internet and use many different websites typically use the same password for all accounts. This may seem convenient but you are taking the same risk as somebody who has a list of passwords written on a piece of paper sitting next to their computer.
In 2010 Justin Bieber complained of a fan hacking into his Twitter account and releasing the teen idol’s phone number to the public. Bieber responded to this not-so-serious threat by releasing the hackers phone number to all of his Twitter followers. Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York tried to blame hackers for releasing explicit pictures from his Twitter account. His use of the blame game did not go over very well and consequentially led to his resignation. The most recent and notable situation involving hackers was the group LulzSec who used their expertise as a way to breach the cyber security of AT&T, PBS, the CIA and many others. This malicious attack led to the release of 62,000 emails addresses, passwords and documents of those who represent these major companies.
Some of these attacks by hackers can pose a threat to a whole community and sometimes it is nothing serious at all. Most people believe they have a secure password that only they can figure out. Hackers look at these people as a challenge they are willing to face. There are simple things you can do to protect yourself from these threats. Instead of using the same password for every website, pick a password that has a direct correlation to the website. Another way to secure your passwords are by changing them every couple of months. If you need to write the passwords down, make sure you have them in a safe place where you keep other important documents.
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