Are You Really Safe?

I have been an I.T. professional for more than a decade now. In that span I have seen a lot of ups and downs of technologies that are related to internet and the internet itself. I came to realize that the internet and the technologies related to it are exciting and helpful yet very dangerous.

Why exciting?

Exciting because you can meet a lot of friends online. Exciting because there are a lot to do with it. Exciting because you can play games with it and with your friends. Exciting because to can reach the farthest place of the earth in just one click.

Why helpful?

Helpful because you can find vast amount of information in it. Helpful because you can reach someone at the other end of the world in just one click. Helpful because you can use it to make your job easier. Helpful because it can bridge gaps between frontiers.

Any existing technology today have its pros and cons. We just don't notice its cons because we are blinded on the positive things that they bring. But if we examine it thoroughly we can see a clearer picture.

Why dangerous?

With that said, the internet and the technologies related to it also have its cons (negative). Do you still remember the computer worm named ILOVEYOU that is also called Love Bug or Love Letter? It infected tens of millions of computer in the whole world in May 5, 2000 through email.

It caused an estimated value of $9 billion in damages all over the world and an estimated of $15 billion to remove the worm from infected computers. The worm was originated in the Phillippines. Arguably a college student's project as a programmer.

It is believed that the so called "ISIS" used the internet to recruit and radicalize its members. The internet is also the common place for bullying, blackmailing and spreading fake news. Remember the Cambridge Analytica scandal? You may still very well know about it.

Through the internet any system can be compromised. News of hacking of banks and large multinational companies are common. Hackers commonly have these purposes: stealing money, stealing banking and credit card information.

Hackers breach systems for a reason. If you still not experienced being hacked it is because you offer no profit to hackers. Hackers don't normally target individuals, the case of Hillary Clinton is an exception.

If you have computers at home and you are using them for your online transactions like buying, banking, sending e-mail and logging-in to social networking site be careful out there because there are a lot of individuals out there to steal your information to gain something in return.

A bad actor can use your information that is stored online in tracking you and possibly finding your home address or work address. Your online footprint can be used by bad actors to evaluate on how and when you are on your home, your time of arrival and the time when you leave.

Your credit card information you used for online shopping can be compromised anytime as well as your banking information. Your e-mail can also be compromised anytime. Your sensitive files on your computer can also be compromised anytime.

There's just too many backdoor for a hacker to exploit if they want to. Your only hope of not being hacked is because you offer no profit to hackers. Big time hackers do not just target an individual unless you offer something that is worthy of their time.

But do not get over confident because there are still some form of malicious actors that target enormous number of individuals by way of ransomware. A ransomware is commonly spreading through e-mail and malicious links.

Once the ransomware is activated it will encrypt your files and render them unusable until you pay a ransom for the decryption key. If you have no valuable files on your computer and you can get by it being lost you can always reformat your computer.

Counter measures

To counter the threat make sure that your antivirus, security software, software, applications and your computer are always up to date. Do not open e-mails that come from unknown sources. Use two-factor authentication everywhere if possible. Use password manager such as Lastpass. Be vigilant always.

Still, I believe that the counter measures that I mentioned are not enough to counter the threat because there's just too many vulnerabilities are being found on a system on a daily basis by security researchers. To see is to believe? Subscribe to The Hacker News

Only hope?

Your only hope is that you offer little or no profit to hackers with the exception of ransomware attack and some small hackers that wants to steal your password like in the case of Steemit.

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I am an I.T. professional (Computer Engineer) working in a private company, a blogger, a father and a husband.

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