The Basics
Back in the days of the DoD (Department of Defense) internet system, the internet was only an extremely small fraction of what it is today. It was used to connect a few universities and research centers together, to make sharing data easier. In those days, security was needed, but very little; there were very few people who could hack through the network, because computers were not very common. Once the internet expanded into the home, the lack of viable security was quite apparent.
Today, there are literally millions of computers connected together. With search engine technology being refined and perfected, as well as the popularity of online information databases, it isn’t too hard to find information on anyone. A quick search on http://www.whitepages.com will give you the address and phone number of any publicly listed person in the United States. This isn’t too big of a problem, until stalkers come into play (more on this later). The major problem is when people find more detail than you care for them to know, such as your Social Security Number, Bank Account Information, passwords, or even Credit Card number.
When someone steals this type of information and uses it, it is called Identity Theft. What often happens is a hacker steals personal information by catching unsuspecting users off-guard and makes purchases or doing things in their name. This causes many problems in the industry, because there have to be safeguards to help counter the issue – safeguards which often lead to customer hassle.
Keeping Your Data Safe
Many people wonder if there are ways to protect themselves from Identity Theft. The truth is: there is no full-proof way. Many have tried, and failed, to stay out of the reach of hackers.
Although there is no perfect way to secure your data, there are several ways you can protect yourself – and make it extremely difficult for hackers to read your data. This section will detail several of those methods.
Limit the Information Available
This is the most obvious, yet the most effective, way to keep safe from hackers. Obviously, the less information available, the less information hackers have to work with. There are some cases when this method is not possible – when like ordering products online – so it will not work in every case.
If it is not possible to limit the information you give out over the internet, it is extremely wise to read the privacy policies of the website you are giving information to. Often, sites resell user information to third parties, which spam, harass, or otherwise annoy you. Whether a particular site does this or not, can be found in the company’s privacy policy. It is often linked to at the bottom of the webpage. If you can find no privacy policy, you should view it like you do construction on a major road during rush hour – turn around and find another way.
Privacy Policies can be tricky – often worded in complex, confusing legal terms. They can be quite large too: 5-10 pages are common. Most places think that by using complicated wording in privacy policies, customers won’t read them – and they are right. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a consumer. Those extra 10 minutes of reading could save you lots of money and headaches in the long run.
In general, I recommend you use what I call the Business Card Rule. If the information you are giving out would not go on a business card, do not give it out unencrypted (more on this later). If you are required to give excess information out online, it is recommended that you do it only over a secured (SSL or similar) connection.
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“War Games” & “Hackers: The Movie” sure did motivate a few kids to become internet security specialists. Groups formed on mIRC and it became pretty big at that time.