Defending Against Cybercrime

Secret Identity
Cybercrime is a new and very dangerous way for malicious people to attack you. Your online presence might be giving away more information than you realize and there is no abundance of people out there who will take advantage of this. Hackers, stalkers, scammers and fake Nigerian princes can either use information that you thought was harmless for malicious purposes or financial gain. The most common crimes will fall into one of two categories: some form of identity theft or real life crime. In either case, this can end with your financial and personal security being compromised. The following are some simple habits to protect yourself from the most common of these crimes.

1. Passwords
Passwords to web sites with personal information is your main line of defense against hackers and stalkers. Sadly, most people have painfully obvious passwords. This is mostly a question of what kind of habits you have online. For example, a surprising amount of people have the same password for every site that protects their information and identity. So, if someone was able to hack one of your accounts, you've pretty much handed them everything. Avoid obvious passwords like your birth date, zodiac sign, a relative's name, a month, a street name or a city. This might seem simple, but anything about you personally can be discovered by anyone who knows you or can stalk you online long enough to know where to guess. The number of characters is also important. The simplest software can be downloaded for free and probably guess your password if it's four characters or less. Make sure you use at least five characters, alternate between lower and upper case letters and include at least one digit from 1 to 9. Simply increasing your password from five to ten characters with the addition of upper and lower case and using those digits increases your chances by approximately one hundred times!

2. Backups
Some virus or hackers can actually change information in your hard drive. For this reason, backup everything. As an insurance, copy any and all files that are work related or have sensitive information that you can't afford to lose onto a USB stick or external hard drive, so that it's not connected to the internet. I recommend this for anything with sentimental value as well, such as photos and videos of family and/or friends. Again, might seem like a simple step, but is often neglected. I only started getting into this habit after my computer hard drive crashed a few years ago because of a virus. I now have an online virtual backup drive where I stored my entire website. I had lost all those files and would have had to start from scratch but I simply retrieved the files from a secured server. That saved me countless hours of frustrating work.

3. Malware
Malware is basically any kind of software or program that will attack your computer. Viruses, worms and trojans can automate what hackers can do, therefore attacking more systems faster and spreading more damage. These programs can retrieve, change and corrupt information on your hard drive or online. There was a time when Malware was more for bragging rights among hackers to see how far they could spread their malicious software, but now they've evolved into specific programs to crash networks and systems or to retrieve personal information for financial gain. Always make sure that your system's up to date on anti-virus software. Be careful though: Malware often comes in the form of a pop-up adds promising to update your anti-virus. Do some homework on what the best software for your system is and make sure when you see generic named "updates" that you don't fall for it. Stick to your program and only update when you're sure that it's yours.

4. Social Media

Social media is fun and great for business, but people don't always realize just how much information they're putting out there. What might seem harmless is often more than enough for anyone paying attention to use for malicious purposes. Again, like all behavior, it becomes a question of habits. What could be a reckless habit for you can become a pattern for a stalker to exploit. For example: pictures. Social media is great for sharing pictures to keep your friends and family up to date on new things in your life, but can often reveal too much. If you're going on vacation, don't post those pictures until you're back. Otherwise, you're broadcasting to everyone that your home might be unattended. Also, pay attention to what's in your pictures (other than you). Be careful with revealing the layout of your home, where you keep papers and keys, what your children look like or any valuables that could be worth taking. Avoid location apps also. Stating online every time you're at work can quickly put you into a pattern of when your home is empty. Updating people every time your out with friends also tells people where you are at all times and where they can find you. This is where cybercrimes become real crimes and can put you in actual physical danger. Think carefully about what you're putting out there and keep your privacy settings on high. A good piece of advice I once received also was to only interact with people like you would if you met them in real life.

5. Cyberstalking and Bullying
For those who don't think this is a real epidemic, teen suicide rates are at an all time high this year and studies have linked this directly to cyber stalking. It's not to say that people being bullied before the days of the internet had it easy, but when they went home from school they could escape it for a time. Now, people are tormented at work or school and have to continue to live the nightmare at home online. Going on the internet to communicate with friends or family should be a safe and pleasant experience, but for thousands out there it isn't. For personal use on the internet, many people create disposable identities to remain anonymous. Not a great option for businesses, but great for people to escape harassment. Just make sure that people you care about and can trust know about your alias and no one else. Also, aggressors can gauge what kind of a reaction they'll get if they're thinking of physically engaging you. Stand your ground both on and offline.

6. The Wireless Age
Wireless routers and networks are extremely effective and convenient. Unfortunately, this comes at the price of being vulnerable. Wireless internet connections are great, but not the hardest thing to hack into. Any personal information can be literally plucked out of thin air. A third party can easily steal information without you even knowing it. Make sure all connections are password protected and encrypted at all times and avoid revealing delicate information in public places or networks. If you're using someone's free wifi, keep it simple and avoid doing anything regarding finances or delicate information. An often neglected security precaution is wireless networks to computer accessories. Printers, for example, use radio frequencies so that several computers can be connected at once. Often, we print up important information with no means of protecting the information from being intercepted. Avoid keeping computers, printers and modems from walls and windows in particular. Whether you're in your home or office, keep all these machines in the center of the room as much as possible for maximum protection.

I hope these tips were helpful and that you consider implementing them into your own life. I knew about less than half of these before doing some reading on the subject and these have quickly become 6 habits that I practice regularly. In the Age of Information, we are all a little more vulnerable, but not helpless. Almost all forms of cybercrimes are some form of identity theft, which is one of the most personal assaults possible. Protect what's yours, both tangible and virtual.

Jordan Bill
Fight or Die

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