Cyber security and Hacking the Planet
Written by: Christian “Fluffy” Peña
In our fast paced every changing world, we are now getting to be more and more reliant to our computers. The days of the organizers, pen and paper are slowing being replaced by the tablet with countless apps to make our lives easier. But being connected also exposes us to hackers as threats. In an age where information is power, there are individuals and institutions who want information either for money or to advance their cause.
Recently the news featured the hacking of Sony. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation suspected that it came from North Korea. The motive of such an action was to stop the release of the satirical movie ‘The Interview”. If this was true then this is really a big problem, since this incident is shows a hacking program which is supported on a national level by a repressive government.
The hacker group Anonymous which is an advocate of free speech and transparency has vowed retaliatory action on North Korea. A few days ago, low and behold a North Korea suffered an outage of internet services. Now Anonymous has not claimed responsibility for the act,but it makes you wonder.
The issue of cyber security does not only affect big corporation and pariah governments but also hits us close to home. Stealing information is not the only threat affecting our ever connected lives. Viruses and Malwares also pose a threat.
Smart phones and portable devices are also as vulnerable to hacking and viruses as much as the big servers with the best security money buy. Our privacy is being invaded our personal details being sold our photos and videos being leaked on line. Social media also plays a part in spreading these threats. Not all posts that appears on your social media page, even coming from friends is what it seems. Remember if it appears too good to be true it is probably is.
Turning a blind eye to this problem and saying that the problem will not affect me will not make the problem go away. We should be vigilant on the ever changing dynamic of the being connected to cyberspace; there are a lot of security providers out there offering security for our mobile devices and work platforms.
Ultimately it all boils down on how we store our personal information and details, what information do we put on our social media presence, and most importantly who we provide our credit card details for our online purchases. We are the best security measure for our needs; we must always study and understand what we are getting ourselves into.
About the Author:
Christian F. Peña – Is an aviation engineer, a photographer, an automotive journalist and an all around tech nut. Known as Fluffy to his friends this tech nut enjoys reading up on whats new in the field of technology.
