Duh. The easiest way to stop hackers is with real passwords.

One of the most personal online violations that can occur to anyone is getting hacked. It could be a personal attack such as a Facebook account, on which 600k successful hacks are achieved daily. It could be something more general such as a database hack that exposes personal information. It could be much, much worse.

With all of the security measures out there and counter-hacking attempts, many systems and accounts can be easily secured by having a strong password. There are plenty of hacks that can hit a system or an account that have nothing to do with front door password access, so there’s no reason to give hackers another easy point of entry by having a password that doesn’t take much time for a hacking script to break.

This infographic by OnlineCollegeCourses.com breaks down the stats behind hacking and reiterates the point that “password” is not a very good password.

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“Password” image via Wisegeek.

The 10 most notorious hackers

While high-profile hacking made headlines in 2012, some of the most famous hack jobs took place years ago. The masterminds behind these notorious events are outlined below.

Kevin Mitnick
Labeled as the most wanted cyber criminal in United States history, Mitnick took down the dedicated servers of Motorola, Fujitsu and Nokia. After his 1995 arrest and five-year prison term, he went on to found a computer security firm.

Kevin Poulson
Using the name “Dark Dante”, Poulson gained notoriety by hacking into telephone systems, notably that of Los Angeles radio station KIIS, in order to win a contest. He also broke into police databases and was featured on the show “Unsolved Mysteries”. Poulson is now a journalist.

Adrain Lamo
Lamo is noted for his use of public Internet networks, such as in libraries and coffee shops, to infiltrate company computer networks. His biggest coups was breaching the NY Times database and abusing the paper’s Lexis-Nexis account to obtain confidential information. Lamo also became a journalist.

Stephen Wozniak
Best known as an Apple Computer founder, Wozniak began his career as a white-hat hacker. While still in university, he created a “blue box” that allowed people to call long distance for free. Wozniak eventually dropped out to join forces with Steve Jobs.

Loyd Blankenship
Known as one of the hacker elite, Blankenship was arrested in 1986 for activities connected with the Legion of Doom group. He penned the “Hacker Manifesto”, which is still a foundation of hacker philosophy today and was used in the 1995 film “Hackers”.

Michael Calce
At age 15, Calce brought down Yahoo, Amazon and eBay with intense denial of service attacks. Police arrested him after he bragged about the attack in chat rooms. He received a short jail term, probation and a fine.

Robert Tappan Morris
In 1988, Morris infected thousands of Unix computers with a virus, later dubbed the Morris Worm. He claimed he was simply trying to measure the size of the Internet, but received probation and a large fine.

Masters Of Deception
An elite hacking group, the MOD broke into phone systems. The group was brought down after its 1992 attack on AT&T, with most members not even going to jail.

David L. Smith
Smith is known for writing the infamous Melissa virus that was distributed via Usenet, causing millions of dollars worth of damage. He was sentenced to jail for the offense.

Sven Jaschan
Jaschan was the author of the Sasser and Netsky worms, which were virulent on the Internet in 2004. He was given a suspended sentence and later hired by a security firm.

App security: how important is it?

If you consider the amount of attempts to hack into government systems and databases, and how many times your personal information is compromised – you’d understand just how important application security really is.

The following infographic from Veracode details some of the biggest hacking attempts in recent history and the work behind the scenes to keep them from happening again.

Infographic by Veracode Application Security

Censorship on the internet: be your own watchdog

There’s been a lot of focus, especially in the past year, on internet censorship. From the battle against online piracy to the recent use of Facebook and social media channels to apprehend criminals, many people are stopping to wonder where their privacy ends on the Internet – in my humble opinion, it starts and ends with you.

You can hear some of my opinions on the “post” button on your Facebook profile being another symbol of your automatic forfeit of privacy on fishbat’s podcast, Reel Time, but I wanted to take the time to elaborate.

Even with the most recent attention, the issue of privacy on the Internet is no earth-shattering dilemma. As far back as my own days in high school, we were warned that once something was put on the Internet there was no taking it back. The decisions we make or what we post can affect admissions to school and future employment. Employers have been noted to request the private Facebook information of potential employees, and unsavory posts online via personal profiles have had an unfavorable outcome in regards to professional and academic life.

No one should be censoring you on the internet, but you should be censoring yourself. I don’t think that this means misrepresenting yourself, but it does mean keeping things that you want to be private off the Internet. I can tell you with certainty that your privacy settings on your post visibility don’t mean jack diddly.

Do I think that your privacy should ever be invaded? No. But I do believe that once you make the conscious decision to post something in cyberspace, there is no taking it back. This is an issue of common sense and decorum. As someone who works in marketing and public relations, I know that one of the most valuable things you have is your own public perception. So why would you post something that could damage the way others view you?

Hacker group AntiSec leaks Apple device IDs to highlight FBI tracking

If reports from the hacker group are to be believed, the FBI has over 12 million Unique Device Identifiers (UDIDs) on file and now 1,000,001 of them have been leaked to the public.

Using the AtomicReferenceArray vulnerability in Java, the group allegedly hacked into Supervisor Special Agent Christopher K Stangl’s notebook in March of this year and retrieved a file with information about Apple iOS device users. The file, named “NCFTA_iOS_device_intel.csv”, is claimed to have usernames, device names, device types, push notification tokens, zip codes, phone numbers, addresses, and other personal identification components. If true, this could bring further scrutiny on the amount of information the federal government keeps on its citizens and people around the world.

The file name likely refers to the National Cyber-Forensics Training Alliance, an organization that is intended to combat cyber crimes. The irony here is that if the file is real then it represents a cyber crime itself.

According to TheNextWeb:

They published the UDID numbers to call attention to suspicions that the FBI used the information to track citizens. Much of the personal data has been trimmed, however, with the hackers claiming to have left enough for “a significant amount of users” to search for their devices.

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“Cyber Security” image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Should two-factor authentication be utilized for all your accounts?

The fear of hackers and privacy peeping toms has been quelled for the moment due to the unveiling of a new two-factor account authentication by Dropbox, a cloud storage company used by social marketing firms and individuals alike.

Earlier this month it was reported International Business Times that the cloud storage company Dropbox had a security breach, which led to a small number of accounts being accessed by unwelcomed parties. In addition an amount of spam was received by the users of the compromised accounts. This incident was a strong motive for the introduction of the two-factor authentication option users are now able to use.

The two-factor authentication is a process by which users have the option to validate their site access by entering a security code. This security code is sent to the user via text message or mobile application. Additionally There is also a selection offered to the user to only enter this code once effectively making a device trustworthy to the site.

A fracture in security on such a service could have resulted in much more damage. The nature of Dropbox is to supply users with a one-stop file sharing folder for every device, as well as keeping that folder on their website. Theft of private information, as well as major damage to the cloud company’s reputation may have taken place.

Researching this topic opened my eyes to this privacy tool I had previously not known existed. Eventually it occurred to me that if all social media accounts implement this feature, what would be the outcome? Being that Dropbox is a service my online marketing company currently uses I looked up other social media sites that employed such a valuable feature. Google and Facebook engage in a form of two-step verification; however, Twitter does not. Although I advise people in taking this extra step, I wonder if all users are knowledgeable of, or even are willing to exercise such prudence.

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“Data Privacy” image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Hotel keycards can be easily hacked in 200 milliseconds

With less than $50 of store-bought hardware and some programming, a hacker can gain instantaneous and untraceable access into over four million hotel rooms around the world, according to Cody Brocious, a Mozilla software developer.

He details his findings on his website. The time it takes once installed: around 200 milliseconds.

“With how stupidly simple this is, it wouldn’t surprise me if a thousand other people have found this same vulnerability and sold it to other governments,” said Brocious. “An intern at the NSA could find this in five minutes.”

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“Hotel Key Card” image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Top 5 security systems for 2012

Quiz time: Did you know that a burglary occurs every 14.6 seconds in America? With the average dollar loss from a robbery up to $2,119, homeowners and renters need to take caution. While there are many different security measures you can put into place, you need to make sure your home is properly protected. Today’s technology is improving at an increasing rate, and with these advances, new improvements are have also been made to security system technology. Here are the top five security systems for your home in 2012:

1. LifeShield security system: Wireless security is the best protection you can buy, since a burglar can easily bypass a hardwired system by cutting your phone line. However, LifeShield plug and protect technology gives you four layers of backup protection so you’re always kept safe. The self set-up system also provides a mobile application that gives you control of your system from your computer or mobile phone.

2. Security guard dog: A trained dog is useful for many security reasons. First and foremost, a barking dog can alert your neighbors that a stranger is in your home. Secondly, some burglars will avoid these homes altogether because they don’t want to risk getting caught or having to deal with a dog that may bite them. For this reason, make sure it is known that you have a dog by making bowls and leashes visible. You can also post one of those classic “Beware of Dog” sign on your fence. If you have a larger dog, their size alone might be enough to scare away a thief.

3. Cameras with remote monitoring: Cameras, whether inside or outside of your home, can help monitor what is going on in real time. They can also record any intruders in case there is a security event. Newer cameras include features like night-vision monitoring and mobile access. With mobile access your can monitor your home from your phone or computer anywhere in the world. This means you can check on your home throughout the day, anytime you want.

4. Private security guard: While this is a rather expensive option, the truth is that a personal security guard can do more than anything else to stop a burglar in their tracks. Whether they’re stationed at an entrance gate to your community, or posted at the foot of your driveway, a guard has the ability to immediately and directly thwart a burglar.

5. Reinforced doors and windows: Your front and back doors are the most common entry points for burglars. This is because these doors are sometimes either left unlocked or not properly secured in the first place. Doors should have a strong strike plate and lock that is secured with 3 inch screws into the frame. When you leave the home, doors and windows should always remain locked, even if you’re only running out for a few minutes.

Each of these measures has their own advantages and disadvantages, but a combination of them will give you the best security possible. If a burglar does try to gain access to your home, you’ll have multiple layers of backup protection. A safe and secure home will give you peace of mind and the freedom to live your life without worry!

About the Author: Jane Leyman is an expert in home security and theft. She has worked in the home security field for 19 years. In addition to her work experience, she is a member of ASIS International, and has helped dozens of communities organize neighborhood watch groups. Her favorite security setup at the moment is LifeShield’s alarm systems, because they are wireless and feature added protection.

Small businesses must take preventative measures to safeguard against hackers

Hackers are becoming increasingly clever and conniving, while small businesses remain shockingly naive about the threat they face from cyber-attacks. This infographic conveys a clear message to all small businesses worldwide: You’re not as secure as you think. Far too many small businesses mistakenly believe that they are simply too small to be on hackers’ radars. The reality of the matter is that 72 percent of the known hacker breaches in 2011 affected businesses with 100 employees or less.

85 percent of small businesses believe they have taken adequate measures to keep safe from hackers. These small businesses seem to be living in a fantasy world because in reality, basic malware safeguards are lacking. 67 percent of small businesses do not use web-based security and 61 percent do not use antivirus on all desktops. 63 percent of small businesses do not have any security on systems used for online banking. Hackers can steal copyrighted material, medical records and bank account information from small businesses. The average cost to a small business from a cyber-attack is $188,242.

Most small businesses cannot withstand such a massive financial burden and are forced to shut down shortly after an attack. This is unfortunate because preventative measures are rather simple and cheap to implement.

Do you operate a small business? Have you taken the simple measures listed in this infographic to safeguard against hackers?

Infographic by Veracode Application Security

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