* #DOXING, The threat of revealing your personal DATA *

joelgonz1982 (60)in #writing • 6 years ago

#Doxing is a term that comes from the English word documents. For the composition of the term, the abbreviation of doc (dox) is taken and the suffix -ing is added.

Currently, in the 21st century, it was Internet, there is no person who does not manage a Facebook account, a company via a website, buy online ... Technology and information technology have made life much easier. However, with new facilities also new problems, dangers or threats come. Unfortunately, and despite the good use we can make of things, there will always be a double side of the coin. A dark side, from which certain people are going to take advantage.

How does the doxing work?

The doxing consists, mainly, in creating a complete profile of a certain person or company through the collection of personal information. We can think: that information is already public in our social network profiles, then?

Yes, but that profile created by doxing contains much more personal information that is not public on the web, but that, nevertheless, has been obtained by linking different data that are available freely. In fact, there are some of our references that, although we believe they are "hidden", are actually easily accessible.

#Doxing is simply using the Internet to search for details of a certain person. The danger of this method is that it comes from a simple name, a "username", age, phone number, e-mail, photos, etc. Basic personal information that constitutes the beginning of this type of investigation. That is, the doxing is not based only on collecting information that is already public, but from it you can get to obtain more personal data.

In itself, this practice is not a crime. At the end of the day, we are only collecting information from a subject. However, what will constitute a crime is the purpose with which we use that information or the method in how we obtain it.

* The first case will be defined by the clear intention to harm the victim. Use that information to cheat, impersonate, harass, threaten, etc.

* In the second case we are going to refer to the use of computer tricks (in which a somewhat deeper knowledge is required) to get the information. For example, by having the person download a document that contains a hidden malware (malicious document) to obtain bank account numbers, medical information, etc.

Some doxing instruments

* Google and other search engines such as Yahoo, Bing, etc. They are tools available to everyone and that allows you to quickly and easily obtain photos posted of the person, the social sites where it appears, telephone numbers, the ID of the email account, etc.

* Social networks. Facebook is the most used, together with LinkedIn since it is where more information we post about our life. The labor use that we sometimes give forces us to put true information that exposes us to this type of attacks.

* Whois search ". Used to obtain information about the owner of a domain or an IP address.

What effects can it have?

The damage that a doxing victim can suffer can be both material and personal. It will depend above all on the objective with which they wanted to get the information, although there will always be an overlap of the effects.

In the personal section, the most important damage is the feeling of lack of security that induces. Obtaining the address of the place where you live is a clear demonstration that "you are not safe at home". Likewise, all this can lead to anxiety and moral damage, since sometimes that information is used to humiliate, harass and harass the victim. Fear, of course, is another effect.

On a material level, it may involve the loss of bank accounts or passwords that give access to sensitive personal information, for example. All this is related to the possible loss of money, having to reassemble a new company, change address, etc.

Likewise, the consequences of doxing do not only affect the victim herself. Your family and close friends may also be affected. We think that at the moment in which so much data about a person is exposed, the close environment of the person is also exposed. In this way, a kind of snowball is created very difficult to stop.

Can it be prevented?

Once we are on the Internet, it is very difficult, practically impossible, to leave that world and go back to being "anonymous". The only thing that remains is to follow a series of guidelines that make it difficult to obtain this information.

The main thing is to try to reduce and minimize the amount of information that we publish in our social profiles. Sometimes it is inevitable, in that case, we must reinforce security.

* Privatize certain information, such as photos, e-mail, telephone number in social networks. Do not leave a free access to this type of data and, if it is not completely necessary, or even want to put it.

* Use strong passwords Merge number, uppercase, lowercase, etc. It may not be something infallible for hackers. Currently there are programs that break these security barriers, but even so, that will make it more difficult. Also, do not use the same password for several domains and pages.

* Avoid the maximum possible permanent signal in our posts the exact place where we are in real time.

* Use different email accounts for each case: Work, social networks, personal mail, bank accounts, etc.

As an example…

In Brussels (Belgium) a tent was installed in which the minds of the volunteers were read. Some accepted and the fortune teller left them totally impressed. I knew all kinds of information about them, information that they had not even entrusted to people around them. How do I knew it?