Article date 17 September 2012
People too often leave themselves open to security breaches through a combination of laziness and stupidity, a number of hackers have claimed.
Hackers know what mistakes people make and how to exploit them better than most and two have spilled the beans on what to look out for in an article published by Yahoo News.
One:
is an ethical hacker, meaning that he attempts to break into computer systems so he can work out how to better improve them in the future, while the other is an ex-criminal hacker who is now employed in security
“People are too trusting," said Tom Beale, the ethical hacker, who for the past decade has been employed to find weaknesses in corporate and government computer systems.
“The human element is always the weak link in the chain. People are very easily distracted - and particular attackers prey on that.”
Cal Leeming, an ex-convicted hacker, said that people are getting more and more stupid when it comes to data security and this is leaving the door open to breaches.
He added: “They want their stuff to be protected, but they expect someone else to do it for them. People don’t want to know.
“Even for companies, computer security isn’t a priority, because it’s not a primary source of income. It’s only once the company’s been hit that they realise, ‘Oh we should have paid more attention than that’.”
To help people avoid the risks the hackers have produced a ten point list of mistakes to avoid at all costs.
The first one is not using the same username for the accounts you use. Mr Leeming points out that hackers can use Google to link all of a target’s accounts together and then “work a way in”.
Two:
the hackers recommend avoiding public Wi-Fi networks as some of them are fake networks set up with the sole purpose of stealing data. This is particularly the case with smartphone access because it is difficult to tell whether a network is fake or run by a genuine company.
Three:
is awareness of friend requests on Facebook. Hackers often set up fake accounts on the social network and look at your personal details (pet names etc) to attempt to crack your password.
Fourth:
don’t trust people you don’t know with personal information. Mr Beale said: “If you’re chatting to someone online, and you tell them some information, would you give that information to someone you’d just met in a bar?
“Online, you’re even LESS safe - because you may not be talking to who you think you are.”
Five:
Using not two factor passwords. People avoid using passwords which have two elements (ie words and numbers) because it makes then more difficult to remember but it does bolster security.
Six:
Using the same password for your email account more than once.
Seven:
Don’t be sucked in by cries for help. The hackers point out that many attacks look like a friend asking for help with something but in reality the request is coming from an email account that has been compromised.
Error Eight:
Not running anti-virus software. Mr Beale says not having it is like driving without a seat belt and he cannot understand why so many people overlook its benefits.
Ninth:
on the list is remembering that links to supposedly funny videos can prove extremely unfunny.
“Facebook’s system doesn’t filter for malicious links, so they can be very dangerous. Often a ‘video’ link will try to fool people into visiting an infected site or downloading something in the guise of video software or fake antivirus software,” the hackers said.
“Your only defence is to think, ‘Would my friend really post that?’ so be careful about people you only half-know. Facebook and Twitter need to inform users better.”
Finally:
we recommend ensuring all your plug-ins such as flash and java are updated because hackers can exploit vulnerabilities in out of date applications.
Posted By Ces Garcia Original Article Can be found by clicking "Ten mistakes hackers can exploit"