Author: Jefferson Graham / Source: USA TODAY
With the world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, claiming he’s being blackmailed over intimate photos, there’s never been a better time to talk cyber security. Nathan Rousseau Smith breaks it down. Buzz60
In these digital times, it comes down to this: Trust no one.
.And verify everything.
Three events in one week that we should all pay attention to: a thumb drive, a hacked phone and a fatal outcome from hopping in an unconfirmed Uber. Welcome to today’s Internet Age.
Consider:
—A woman strolls onto President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, with four cellphones and a thumb drive authorities say was full of malware. Who knows just how extreme the malware was. But let’s face it, it wasn’t good. After she got past Secret Service checkpoints, she was stopped by the hotel’s reception staff before it was too late.
—Jeff Bezos, often characterized as the world’s richest person thanks to the billions earned from his Amazon.com, also had people, but his phone, they allege, got hacked by the Saudis. Security experts we spoke to think it was either a phishing link that got clicked and enabled malware or malicious code put on a website he visited. Bezos says personal information was stolen from his phone.
—A University of South Carolina student ordered an Uber over the weekend and stepped into a car she assumed was the driver. It wasn’t. She was killed later that night, police announced Monday.
Wochit, USA TODAY
For the millions of us who use ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft, remember this: The name of the driver and the license plate for the car are labeled in the app. Double check it before you get into any car and have the driver announce his or her name.
Adam Levin, the author of Swiped: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers and Identity Thieves, says people who haven’t taken security seriously need to stop and do a rethink.
Internet woes are “not something we can prevent,” he says. “But we can be more careful.”
What to do in the internet age? Begin by assuming the worst.
When the phones rings, is it really a friend calling to speak to you or is it a hacker?
Levin tells a story about the rogue asking if it’s you when you answer the call, you say “Yes,” and, if recorded, that word then gives him the license to bill you for things you never ordered because they have you on tape saying “Yes.”
His solution: Answer the phone only when you can prove, through Caller ID, that it is one of your contacts.
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