The Results of a Hacker Finding Your Personal Information

 

Everyone has heard of the latest scandal regarding the hacking of the Monster.com site and the theft of vital information for over one million people. Now, some may wonder what a hacker would want with this information. In most cases, the motive behind a hacker's actions is simply to be able to hack into a site that claims to be "hack-proof." In other cases involving fraud, the goal is to obtain personal information and either use it for spamming or sell it to scam artists. Regardless, one would think that a hacked site would have legal responsibilities.

The recent Monster.com scare is likely just the theft of work history, names, and references. However, if the stolen information also included Social Security numbers, annual salary requirements, cell phone numbers, and credit card or bank information, people would face major problems. This type of activity happens frequently, but we only hear about it when big news companies like Monster.com or others in the spotlight are affected. If a lesser-known pet product site were hacked and disclosed this information, it would not make the news headlines.

Everyone uses the internet for various reasons, such as shopping, job searching, gaming, or browsing. In any case, one must be careful when providing personal information. A secure site that displays your information should have encryption to protect it, especially for buying and gaming purposes. Whenever you give out personal information, you want to ensure that it is protected. With the recent scare involving Monster.com, people have to wonder what will be done with their information.

As hackers become more cunning in their attempts to hack into websites and steal information, IT technicians will work harder to enhance site security. The scares we encounter with our internet experiences are forms of criminal activity that unfortunately can cause problems worldwide. Protecting yourself and your computer from a hack attack should be a top priority, and businesses are upgrading their systems and infrastructures daily to safeguard vital information.

Some have said that the best way to protect yourself is to never give out personal information. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. If you want to shop, search for jobs, play games, or sign up for newsletters and promotions, you must provide relevant information. Therefore, it is important to exercise caution when choosing which sites to use. However, as proven by the Monster.com incident, even the most reputable sites can encounter problems. This, however, should not deter you from using the internet.

You just need to be aware of the threat and use good judgment when visiting a website. Hopefully, we will soon see a system to track and prevent hackers from stealing vital information. Companies that develop security software and other security measures work tirelessly every day to find new ways to thwart hackers. As hackers become more sophisticated, software developers gain more knowledge about security to stop them in their tracks.