As more and more information is loaded onto the web, one may well be advised to be a little more careful about what you load onto it, as well as what apps you use..
Identity theft is a major issue as many have already found out. Anyone can be mined for information and that info can and is used for false identity paperwork. It is not uncommon for someone to be questioned or charged for something that happened in another country or in another part of the world. Passport falsification is a good example. Be very careful about what apps you download on your phone or computer as this article explains..
IF you're using Facebook, Twitter or even playing Angry Birds on your smartphone, beware - companies are now using apps to mine your personal information.Having spent some time on Internet Security, I can inform you that were you to have a quick look at the amount of times sites are hacked, you would almost be tempted to unplug it from the web and find some other form of amusement and entertainment. It really is that bad..
And there is little that Australian regulators can do about it, the Privacy Commissioner warned yesterday.
Many popular apps are able to access and monitor personal information because users have agreed to the terms and conditions of use.
That data includes their location, internet search history, text messages, contact book, online accounts and call history. Companies can even intercept calls and take photographs or videos from the phone or tablet at any time.
Users of some apps have also been known to be deluged by advertising for unrelated products such as adult dating sites - suggesting the apps are a front for advertising.
Even Interpol has problems keeping it under control..
If you do have a facebook account, it may be in your best interest to have a read..
How to Avoid Being the Next Facebook Hacking Victim
What can you do ?If everyone used a reasonable password instead of 1234 or abcd, that would be a great start. When hacking your particular password, if it shows any level of complexity, they will just go to the next one. Do not use DOB, or phone numbers on their own or other obvious names. The best tactic is to make it as complex as possible but still be able to remember it.
eg - Facebook password could be fAce_bOOk1 or $fAce-bOOkk, better still, use some other term, multi-name or made up description. The longer the better, the more use of !@#$%^&* the better. Take some time to make one up and memorise it and do not list it on your system, as that would assist them as well(remember the apps). Do not write it down and leave it lying around, at work as well.
I chatted with an Internet Security Expert who stated that he could crack any password on any system and he tested his claim on a class of IT Uni. students and cracked all but one. The one he could not crack was a word written in english but had a meaning in another language.
