Hacking and Ways to Protect Ourselves

Hacking information from computers is a broad way of gaining information illegally. Some of us may not be familiar with the term hacker. A hacker is a computer expert who’s main goal is to find ways to break into other computer systems and gain information. They can then steal information and cause problems for the system. In today’s high tech world, these hackers are becoming more of a dangerous nuisance.

Recently the Wall Street Journal came out with a new article discussing the detection of a new hacking attack. A computer-security company discovered a breach of information in 2,411 companies and government agencies where large amounts of personal and corporate information were stolen, ranging from credit card transactions to databases and email account access. Apparently it had been a coordinated global hacking attack that had taken place over the past 18 months in both Europe and China. It’s still unclear how far the damage spreads. Sometimes these criminal groups have even stolen information of employees’ criminal involvement and used it for extortion. So how was this done? Spyware was used to control computers remotely. These attacks are not blocked by the standard antivirus software. Obviously, there are some weaknesses in the security of cyberspace (Read the full article here).

What lesson do we need to learn from this? Almost everyone uses a computer whether it’s to write emails or purchase products or store information. We need to understand how our machine or network can be attacked and then educate ourselves on how to best protect ourselves from these hackers. Here’s a little more information on how hackers can control computers remotely. There are scanner programs that ping IP addresses of networked systems to see if the system is running. Firewall software can show these repeated pings when reviewing the log. Weaknesses can be revealed through some of these scanning programs and hackers can spy on the information passing between the machines. These hackers can then use the internet to share lists of exposed IP addresses where there are security breaches. Sometimes the owner has no idea that this is occurring.

How can we protect ourselves?

• Firewall. When hackers are probing to see which systems are up, a firewall will mask this so it appears as if your system is not up.


• Antivirus Software, including anti Trojan software. A Trojan virus installs other software on your computer system. Run it every week so that you can detect any new viruses.


• Anti-Spyware Software. Spyware installs on your computer without your knowledge. These software programs can track your activity and even cause pop-ups on your computer. Sometimes several anti-spyware software programs will have to be used to rid the variety of spyware programs out there.


• Caution with Emails and use Passwords. Nowadays I routinely get emails from strangers claiming they’ve inherited a fortune and they really need my help in spending it. Don’t ever give personal information away to strangers in emails and never open email attachments with executable files unless you can trust the sender. There are always new upcoming scams when it comes to emails. But follow these two rules to protect yourself.


• Routinely backup Important Material. This will protect you if you ever were to lose sensitive files, documents or photos.


• Use Identity Theft Protection Services. This enables us to monitor our personal information -- credit scores, new accounts opened -- so in the worse-case scenario, if our information has been compromised, we will know immediately.

With the advance in technology, there are so many incredible benefits. You can send photos or letters thousands of miles away with the touch of a button. Information about any subject is at our fingertips, no longer requiring you to sift through countless books at the library or pulling the dusty encyclopedias from the shelves. As with any promising progression, there’s always the darker side. And in this computer-savvy modern society, they can come in the form of criminal hackers. Just use caution and the good guys will continue to find ways to protect us from the bad guys.

Phishing: An Online Identity Theft Scam

When I hear the word phishing, I imagine early dawn, a still morning and a smooth lake with not a single ripple. But outside the nature world -- and inside the world of computer security -- phishing is online identity theft. This process was described in 1987 and defined and recorded as 'phishing' in 1996 with one sole purpose: to bait innocent victims and catch their passwords, usernames, credit card information and any other financial details.

Con artists have been around since the beginning of time. We've all heard the stories of strangers stepping into the shoes of long lost relatives and making claim for crowns or large sums of money, but now we're in the internet age and the story -- with a similar theme -- has unsuspecting online consumers as its main characters. One of the more recent phishing scams involves the social networking sites. Facebook users beware because if you're one of those users that re-use passwords, then Facebook may be your downfall. Many of us use the same password for every website, meaning if were lured to phishing sites from our facebook account, hackers can also potentially gain access to our Amazon, PayPal and eBay accounts. Read the full story here: Facebook Attacks Threaten All Web Sites

According to the APWG (Anti-Phishing Working Group), these types of crimes are on the rise with crimeware-spreading sites infecting PC's with password-stealing crimeware increasing 827% from January 2008 to December. Phishing schemes are gaining sophistication and sometimes for the everyday online consumer it can be overwhelming. The Anti-Phishing Working Group web site gives up-to-date reports on the latest phishing schemes authorities have uncovered.

There are some steps we can take to protect ourselves from these types of scams.

• Never give out personal information, including financial, via an email request. Remember the purpose of this is to gain your name, username, address, phone number, password, bank account number, credit card number, CVC code or social security number. Regular e-mail messages aren't encrypted so it's similar to sending a postcard. Be suspicious of email messages requesting this kind of information or even those messages asking to update or confirm such details. And don't call numbers listed on email messages, but rather get the phone numbers from statements. Never click links on suspicious emails or copy and paste links from messages into your browser, but instead you type the URL into your browser or use your Favorite Links.
• Use secure websites. Ones that you know and trust to submit personal information -- established companies with good reputations and privacy statements where they state that they won't pass on your personal information to others. And make sure these web sites use encryption.
• Continually monitor online transactions. Review bank and credit card statements and report anything suspicious by calling the number on your account statements. Use credit cards for online purchases, even those with a small credit limit. Debit cards are connected to your bank account and credit cards with high limits only give the thief more money.
• Use strong passwords, changing them often. Don't use real words, but rather combinations of numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and symbols so it's difficult for hackers to guess.
• Protect your PC. Make sure all your security patches are installed and your browser is up to date. Use a firewall, antivirus software, anti-spyware, and even anti-phishing software.

So if this information does get into the wrong hands, what will the thieves do with it? Identity theft is common and the hacker can now apply for credit in your name, empty out your accounts, max out cards, transfer money from your investments into your checking account and then use a copy of your debit card to take it all.

These identity theft scams are continually growing in sophistication on the internet, so be aware, protect yourself as best as you can, and be prepared with identity theft services for recovery and even prevention.