Getting Hacked! How to Protect Your Sensitive Data Online!

I have been hacked, and it was pretty scary. One day I was on facebook when I got a message from a girl I didn’t know. She was flirty, telling me how cute I was, and cool. Stupidly I went along with it; flattery can be enticing, though I should have known better. After a few messages back and forth the conversation took a sinister turn.

She started asking about members of my family and close friends. A cold chill ran down my spine as I wondered how this person could possibly know that much about me and my relationships. And then things got really creepy when she typed out my phone number and told me that she was currently standing outside of my house! I almost never give out addresses online so I had no idea how on Earth this person knew where I lived! And was she really standing outside right now?!

My heart was pounding and my mind was racing. At some point I decided to log into my email, and that’s when it all made sense. I couldn’t get in, my password had been changed; my email had been hacked! I quickly blocked the girl on Facebook and contacted hotmail support, explaining the situation. They locked down my account until I provided enough information to prove that I was the rightful owner. By the next day I had my email and facebook back.

WHEW!

In my inbox, when I logged in successfully again, was a message. It read something like this:

“Hello Rohan. I hope you enjoyed my little game. Honestly though you were pretty boring. You didn’t have much I could use.”

I checked my sent messages, there were a few. Some emails were sent to friends and family basically insulting them using my name. A quick email explaining that I was hacked cleared it all up. And there was an email sent to a CD duplicator, I had ordered 200 CDs from them and the hacker changed the order 2000! Thankfully I was able to contact the duplicator and change the order back to 200, explaining my situation.

Handily Facebook provided me with the IP adress of the last person to log in when I was changing my password. This enabled me to track the hacker down to a street in the West of Ireland; somewhere I’d never even heard of. I didn’t take any action, but I knew that if the hacker appeared again the IP address was going straight to the Police.

I consider that I got off quite light here, and through this experience I learned a number of things that all internet users should know! Here are my tips for protecting your sensitive information from hackers, scammers, bullies, trouble makers and identity thieves:

1 – The Golden Rule: This is a big one, and something I already did long before being hacked. Anytime I am writing an email or message online I ask myself “Am I okay with everyone I know seeing/reading this” if the answer is no, I do not send it. I’m never going to run for a political position or sainthood; I’m a writer and musician, so a nudie picture, some gossip or a controversial opinion is not the end of the world for me. However I’m still very careful. If I had sexy pictures or emails when I was hacked you can bet they would have been plastered all over facebook! Privacy just does not exist online in the way we think it does, so remember: if you couldn’t handle your partner/parents/co-workers seeing it Don’t Send It!

2 – The Exception to the Rule: Okay, rule number one is not always practical. Sometimes it is necessary, or at least a lot more convenient to say or send something private via email or message. In this case I always ask that after the files have been downloaded, or the message has been read, that the receiver delete the message. And then I delete the message from my sent folder. You never know when someone could be snooping around your inbox so do not have anything in there that could get you in trouble! Send the sensitive data, download or copy it to a local machine, and then delete the email/message.

3 – Bank Details and Passwords: This should go without saying. Sending passwords and pin numbers via email or message is a big no-no. If it is an emergency then send them and employ rule number 2; delete the email and have the recipient delete the email once the passwords have been used. If time is not an issue try using different methods of communication to break it up. So send half of your pin/password via email and text message the other half using your phone. I shudder to think what could have happened if any of my banking info was in my email when it got hacked!

4 – Once They Have Your Email: They have all your social networks as well! Remember, when you forget your password, sites will often send a password reset link to you email. From there the hacker can simply create a new password and viola; they have your email and whatever social networks are connected to that email! So treat your facebook/twitter/linkedin etc messages with the same care you would treat your email messages!

5 – If It Sounds Too Good To Be True: It probably is. Watch out for random people contacting you, especially if they are flattering, sucking up to you, offering something like sex or money or asking a lot of questions. If someone has hacked your email they can know a surprising amount about you. They may even say they are a friend of a family member! Be very careful what info you give to people you meet randomly online, always ask your actual friends and family members if they know this person.

6 – Don’t Forget About Real Life: Sure smartphones, emails and social networks make it a lot easier to share information, but don’t forget about face to face time. If you have something important to talk about with someone invite them over or grab a coffee together. If you have some naughty pictures or stories to share with a special someone why not give them to them in person? And the same goes for banking and password stuff. It’s a lot harder to hack a private conversation in your home, a park or a cafe!

2013-02-18-Facebook Hacking

Reduce your levels of stress and anxiety regarding your online privacy and security by practicing the tips outlined above. No matter what a website says about how awesome their security is, nothing is un-hackable, so be responsible with what you share online