Nowadays’ so common internet has brought complex threats to the common people. The once sophisticated art of identity theft has become a simple task to novice hackers, and is doable at complete anonymity and zero physical interaction or contact with the victim.
Traditional goes Digital
Traditional burglary has become digital. The thief will breach the victim’s computer and steal whatever of value he finds. In today’s digital times, personal data is valuable, and can be (and is) easily stolen and abused for profit.
How do they do it? Can it be prevented? Can you protect yourself?
The ‘HOW’ does not matter. There is a long list of ways one can gain access to your computer and personal data. Some are new, some are old, but one thing is for sure – as time goes by, and our digital life gets richer – so do the risks and dangers.
In short, there are numerous ways of gathering one’s personal data throughout the web. That information, along with the hacked data from a personal computer is used to form a complete identity that can in turn be abused. Browsing through social networks, users tend to leave behind more data than what is considered safe for personal security. That data is used to pinpoint an identity worth stealing, with the next step being a local virus infection via email, downloaded file or any other digital form..
How do Identity Thieves get Information?
Once breached the initial barrier to your computer, the hacker will search the local files first, prioritizing file-types that are associated with statements and invoices – PDF files, Notepad text files and Microsoft Word files. Market research conducted by Cisco found that 28% of employees at small and large companies in China, store their personal data like SSNs, bank account numbers, and passwords on work computers. Not only that the action itself is not safe, but users make it less safe by naming the file ‘passwords.pdf’. This is especially relevant for CEO’s, since their computer opens the door to the personal information of all employees. To demonstrate how weak the majority of passwords are, WP Engine (WordPress Engine) has done a research on compromised passwords on Google and found that the average 7 character password can be cracked in 22 seconds. So, if the user stores a file with sensitive personal information, on the computer’s hard drive it is just a matter of time when it will be found. The personal computers are not so personal, because there is always a possibility of a hacker snooping around.
Your Name has a Price Tag
Any information the hacker gets hands on is susceptible to both abuse and sale. There are different kinds of information that can be used in identity theft. There is critical data which is information that can be used directly by the identity thief, such as SSN, Driver’s License Number, Credit Card Number, Bank Account Number, Tax Information, and Birth Certificate. All the hacker needs to do is match the Name, date of birth and address to form a complete identity. There is also the harmful data that can be used to acquire additional personal data. Some of the possibilities are: pet’s tag (chip), history of residence and gas/water service account numbers.
Therefore, if a hacker gets his hands on the smallest piece of information it is easy to get the rest.
“Any account information, including name, address, and credit card number can be bought for 10$ to 50$ on the black market websites.” – testified a well-known ex-hacker.
There is no magic solution to solve all of this in one click. There are multiple solutions that can prevent data loss and hinder hackers’ attempts to steal an identity;
Limit the amount of information shared on social media platforms.
Update your security and protection software regularly.
Never share or store your passwords and PIN codes.
Generate a strong and complex password.
Shred paper documents that contain personal information.
Research shows that by 2021 more than 4 billion people will be using the internet regularly. With so many ‘candidates’ out there, hackers have become picky and go for the easier target, not wasting time on the ones harder to penetrate.
Do not be an easy target! It is your responsibility to protect yourself and your information with the available means out there.