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Recently a friend told me their colleague’s email had been hacked, or compromised. It seems every week there are news stories of this website or that being hacked and emails compromised. Now, no website or digital file is totally secure. A skilled hacker can bypass even government secured databases as you’ve no doubt read in the news. In recent months passwords for such sites as Yahoo! Voice, AOL, E-Harmony, Gawker, Formspring, Plenty of Fish, and Linkedin have been compromised.
Now, let me share a little bad news. You can do everything right and the determined and skilled hacker will find a way in, just as securing the doors and windows to your home won’t keep the most determined burglar out. However, taking a few modest precautions with your digital life can prevent the majority of intrusions and losses. Most hackers are looking for low hanging fruit, just as most burglars are looking for homes or cars that are quick and easy to rob.
First and foremost, secure your computer with a good anti-virus product. A good number of passwords and data are lost through malware installed on a computer through programs you might have inadvertently installed by opening an email or clicking a link. Programs like key loggers are small and easy to load and phone home (wherever home is) easily. What might you think if you saw a 16 digit number come across your screen, followed by a 4 digit number and then a 3 or 4 digit number, but a credit card complete with security code.
I can hear a few of you smugly saying out loud you are immune as you have an Apple […]
