Technology plays a very important role in modern lives. This is because the Internet of Things has made our lives so dependent on it. However, the drawback of excessive use of technology is that our personal information is all available.
From our social security numbers to our medical prescriptions, everything is stored in electronic format.
This makes it extremely vulnerable for use by hackers. Even though our technology has progressed by leaps and bounds, hackers are always four steps ahead of ordinary scientific minds.
Hence, all your data that is stored online is liable to fall in the wrong hands and be misused. This phenomenon is termed as data hacking.
This article briefs you with the different ways in which all your personal data is liable to be hacked. It also provides you with various safeguards that are possible in protecting yourself from becoming a victim of hackers.
This can be done best with the help of identity protection services that can go a long way in securing you from these spiteful hackers who are out to harm you in every way possible.
Read on to find out the various ways in which you can be hacked in the age of data hacking. But before that, we have to give you a brief understanding of this topic.
What is Data Hacking?
As mentioned before, most of our personal information is stored in electronic format. This includes our social security, health records and even our financial information that includes credit cards and taxes.
While we may feel empowered to be able to conduct financial transactions over the Internet with all the facilities of Net Banking, still we need to keep in mind that all of these involve PINs and other identifying markers that can be hacked easily.
All these items constitute data that can be stolen by malicious hackers who can even sell it to other third parties for a hefty price.
This phenomenon of personal data being stolen is called data hacking.
This affects all of us in our lives and this is where we need to put adequate safeguards in place so that we don’t fall victim to their nefarious activities.
Here we discuss all your personal items that can be misused by these nosy hackers who will leave no stone unturned in getting what they want.
Credit Cards
Credit cards come on top of the list as plastic money has become the order of the day.
We rarely use cash nowadays because it can get unwieldy and cumbersome. But are credit cards really as safe as you think?
The reason we are raising this question is that of the mode of use of credit cards.
Credit cards are swiped and all the relevant information is taken from it and provided to the Internet.
All this information is then sent to the processing center of the bank for verification.
This means that your card number is transferred over the medium of the Internet leaving it vulnerable to hackers who can break into this pathway and steal your card number and other important information.
The very fact that there is no checking system in place that will protect you from harm makes you even more vulnerable to becoming a victim of fraud.
We are also using the magnetic technology of the 1950s in our credit card swiping system.
Consider the fact that this obsolete technology is being used alongside something as modern as the Internet. This should make us sit up and take notice of this appalling fact.
The worst part is there is absolutely no development in the production of new technology to upgrade the system used in these cards to keep your data safe and secure.
This basically means that the more you use your credit cards, the more vulnerable you will remain.
Hence, you really need to realize that this is truly a lose-all situation where both you and the retailer end up getting duped due to unscrupulous elements like hackers. So much for cutting edge technology!
Another thing to note is that all these losses are immediately passed on to you the customer leaving you absolutely in the lurch.
The best way you can protect yourself is to use cash but that is not a very convenient option either as it can get easily lost.
So it is best to invest in a service that is provided exclusively for identity theft.
Healthcare
Another sector in which the hackers want to spread their spider webs is healthcare.
It has now become common practice for all hospitals the world over to scan all the case papers and prescriptions of their patients into their databases to enable them to refer to them whenever they want.
What they don’t realize is that they are also leaving this information open to the hands of malicious hackers.
These experienced hackers won’t think twice before hacking into the server and stealing all this data that can be sold to the highest bidder for hefty prices leaving you the ultimate loser.
Here too, no adequate security systems have been put in place to safeguard your interests. In this case, there is hardly anything you can do either as you have to part with all your data the moment you enter the hospital.
However, even here your identity theft service can help you. You can purchase identity theft insurance that will help you get adequate compensation should your data be breached.
This definitely holds you in good stead by not letting the hackers get absolute control.
Hackers In Politics
While what we spoke about was on a personal front, the hackers have not left the politicians free either.
Both the US and French Presidential Elections were marred by Russian hackers who left the elections in disarray by hacking into the emails of Democrat leaders and even French candidate Emmanuel Macron.
This clearly shows the high level of expertise that they have achieved in this field. Hence, from here it is evident that we truly live in the age of data hacking.
So we need to adapt to the circumstances with better counter-measures.
Conclusion
From the above, we can conclude that data hacking is definitely here to stay for quite a long time to come.
Hence, we need to make use of facilities that are available to be able to tackle this growing menace.
