The growing threat of the Hacker

With the numerous reports and hacker activity that has been happening lately it is not hard to see that governments are concerned with these acts of cyber terrorism. Hacker groups like Anonymous and the recently disbanded LulzSec have caused havoc in the cyber community and remain a constant headache to many government and corporate websites. These hacker groups pride themselves in exposing the faults of various corporations and they have even launched cyber attacks against military and government by acquiring various data and hacking into countless numbers of official websites.

However, governments and companies have started to up the ante and are applying various new security measures in order to combat this rise in what governments have described as senseless cyber terrorism. Many have been warned by the hacker groups to not stand in their way as they believe they are conducting these cyber attacks in order to enact revenge against cold hearted companies and expose the secrets the government is keeping from the public. You may think then how does this effect me? In the various attacks conducted by these groups hackers expose the data of various websites meaning that many users data including everything from their address to even possibly credit card data have been compromised. The best example of this would be the Sony Playstation Network hack which saw endless amounts of user data including that of credit card details exposed in the cyber attack.

Then how can we ensure that we are safe in these times when cyber crimes are becoming more and more common? The best protection you can have is a good Anti-Virus and good management on the details you use online and have used within various accounts you may have. Keep record of all your website accounts and details and always ensure when entering details that you are using a secure site and if in doubt confirm with another person whether or not it is wise to trust this source. We have seen many users have their accounts compromised and fallen victim to cyber scams in forms of both Rogue Anti-Viruses and fake PC Technician Help. So the only way to stay safe is to be cautious and if ever in doubt seek a second opinion. These cyber attacks appear to only be the beginning of a completely new form of criminal activity and terror and the importance of protecting one’s data has never been more prominent in the ever developing world of cyber crime. For more information on staying safe online or for any queries on the internet and hacking you can email Cosgrove IT: info@cosgroveit.ie or call the office on 071 98 31122.