Why hacking is not a victimless computer crime | Geoff White on Technology | Geoff White on Technology

I contacted some of those affected by the hacking of Yahoo! emails in 2012. The responses show that it caused distress, frustration and, in some cases, tangible loss.

Source: blogs.channel4.com

Again and again we see these hacks targeting common user data. Data that then is being used in scams and fraud. It is a huge mistake to think that no-one is interested in you since you are not important. You are important to cyber criminals if you don’t protect yourself.

Identity theft is on the rise through methods called “social engineering”. By getting access to your e-mail, for instance, a con artist can pose as you. Even worse, if they get access to your actual e-mail account they will quickly have access to all your passwords since they are being mailed to you. Or they can try to reset your password on a service, and the reset link gets mailed to you, for them to use.

When this happens you will notice since you suddenly find that you have bought stuff you haven’t bought. Or your house or car has been sold without you knowing.

See on Scoop.it – Secure communication

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Why hacking is not a victimless computer crime | Geoff White on Technology | Geoff White on Technology