Internet Hacking

Internet Hacking

Internet hacking has always been prevalent in the internet world, but it’s been on the fringe in a dark hole where no one heard of security breaches unless they happened to be you or a large  company. What’s changed over the years? Does the media affect the popularity of hacking group such as Lulzsec, Antisec, Opbart, or even the infamous group Anonymous?

Media always plays a part in what drives an organization to continue the behavior and it drums up popularity for a particular view point. Anonymous has been around for years, but they are not the only major hacking group out there. There are other hacking groups which believe at laying below the radar not to call too much attention to themselves. One of these groups named TeaMp0ison is one of these groups who oppose Lulzsec. TeaMp0ison actually defaced Lulzsec members page at one point.

The side effects of a media hungry hacker group is pressuring the federal government to quickly pass new laws in regards to cyber security. Ultimately it is the businesses responsibility to protect your information. But what information do you provide to businesses?

 

Well this is determined by the company and the size of that business. Banks and large corporations spend a lot of money to protect users information, but sometimes there can be breaches. Sony is a great example. Sony was hacked from all angles over a several month period of time. But before the hacking incident it was widely known on the hacking blogs Sony had inadequate internet security.

 This was a wakeup call to a lot of major corporations across the world to make sure their security was up to date and not to fall asleep at the wheel of your personal data.While we may never be completely safe from internet hackers, your personal information is a highly protected item and should be. You trust these companies with your financial records. A breach of security can be very costly for a company on the fines as well as customer base.

What can you do as a consumer to protect yourself?



1. For starters make sure you have multiple passwords. I know passwords can be difficult to remember, but this is your first line of defense against hacking as well as unauthorized access into your bank account, email, or website blog. Make sure your passwords are different for your banking site or your email address. A lot of the consumer side breaches have been completed by hackers knowing your personal email and then gaining access to your bank, email, or even PayPal because you have the same passwords across the board.

2. Don’t use your main banking card on the internet or be careful which online stores you purchase from. While the U.S. may have regulations on credit card transactions and what information a company must encrypt, other countries such as India may not have the same laws.

3. For many years people have always suggested to create a separate email accounts to create online shopping profiles. These email accounts would be used as a “junk” account or “throw away”. Over time, as you know these accounts begin to receive spam and can easily take over your account. With a junk account you can easily dump the account and create a new one.



What happens if you are compromised?


1. The first thing you would want to do is to stop the money flow from your bank account. Contact your bank and let them know there has been an unauthorized access to your account and stop all transactions. By stopping the money flow this will stop the major loss you may experience.

2. Take control of your email accounts. Contact Google, Yahoo, Hotmail, or AOL and explain to them what had happened and you need back into your account. Most companies have set up security questions so you may do this online. Most passwords are sent directly to your primary email address when you go to a site and  click on the “I forgot my password”. This is how the hacker is getting your information. You will need to cut off this access.

3. Visit the sites you know you use the same passwords at or email address to begin to reset the accounts. If this is on Ebay, alert the company so they may note this on your account. PayPal and Ebay are very responsive to these type of incidents and keep logs.



Ultimately no one is safe on the internet and sometimes you have to remind yourself this. The goal is when it happens to yoube prepared and have the least amount of damage to you financially.