Concept
Your behavior towards the tool will always make the difference, THE BEST ANTIVIRUS IS YOU!
Computer security is a concept that should no longer be taken lightly, as it might have been done in the early days of digital technology a few decades ago. It is a variable cursor and not a static state.
Today, digital tools have invaded our lives, our societies, and have become omnipresent in our behavior.
In theory, everything is hackable, it's just a matter of time, human resources, or cost. Just as an armed gang in the style of "Casa de papel" can open an ultra-secure bank, an army of hackers can do the same.
What Do Hackers Do With The Data They Hack?
When our data leaks, it can therefore be used by a third party for dishonest purposes. Identity theft, false papers, credit applications, false profiles on social networks… the list is sadly long. The psychological impacts can be devastating.
Resale of Data on the Dark Web
One of the first things hackers do with stolen data is sell it on the dark web. Personal information such as credit card numbers, account IDs, and passwords is very valuable. Buyers can use this information to commit fraud, identity theft, or other illegal activities.
Extortion and Ransomware
Ransomware is a common method used by hackers to extort money. They encrypt your files and demand a ransom to decrypt them. If you refuse to pay, you risk losing access to your data permanently. In some cases, hackers threaten to release sensitive information to pressure their victims.
Espionage and Surveillance
Some data is collected for espionage and surveillance. Hackers may work for organizations looking to gain information about competitors or individuals. Stolen data may include emails, confidential documents, or strategic information.
Use for Further Attacks
Information obtained during an attack can be used to plan future attacks. For example, hackers can use login information to access other accounts, launch targeted phishing attacks, or use personal information to bypass security challenges.
Fraud and Identity Theft
With personal data, hackers can commit various types of fraud. This includes opening bank accounts under false names, applying for loans, or using stolen credit cards to make purchases. Identity theft can have serious and long-lasting consequences for victims.
Sabotage and Degradation
In some cases, hackers seek to cause damage rather than financial gain. They may erase data, corrupt files, or disrupt systems to harm companies or individuals. Sabotage may be motivated by political, personal, or ideological reasons.
Creation of botnets called “Zombies”
Hackers sometimes use compromised devices to create botnets, networks of infected machines that they can control remotely. These botnets can be used to launch DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks, send spam, or illicitly mine cryptocurrencies.
Recommendations
To avoid this, it is advisable to set up several security systems in advance in order to "discourage" the hacker from accessing your information.
We are obviously talking about an antivirus on your device first, you already need to protect your operating system. You will also need to make sure that the firewall is active.
Then comes security on the services used, by creating so-called "Strong" passwords (Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers, Special characters), 12 characters minimum recommended (16 minimum ideally) avoiding dates of birth, proper name, first name, common name, street number or department. This is information about you, relatively easy to find. In absolute terms, it is also advisable to have a different password for each site. Several ways exist to achieve this solution and I suggest you address them in a training course on this subject.
Two-factor authentication should be used wherever it is possible to implement it. This process requires the user to show their credentials twice to access the requested service, using two separate communication channels. This could be a code received by SMS, a third-party application such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator , etc.
This method has several names: Double Authentication, MFA (Multi Factor Authentication), 2-factor authentication, OTP (One Time Password), double validation, and sometimes more exotic terms.
The last point regarding security will be your “ digital hygiene ”. As a computer user you are responsible for your data, its storage and its processing.
The old scam of the "fake attachment" included in the email no longer works so well, even if there are still a few victims to be deplored. "Social engineering" has taken over with "phishing" in particular, consisting of sending you a message (Email, SMS, Chat, etc.) pretending to be a trusted organization (Bank, Health, Taxes, etc.) and inviting you to click on a link to take action. We must therefore change our habits, and no longer click on any unsolicited link received by email/SMS, and go to the source of the information by our own means.
Special care should also be taken when it comes to installing a program or application on your devices. Try to determine the real need for it. If this is confirmed, always download from a trusted source, which will usually be the publisher's website for a computer (or the Microsoft Store for an app) and otherwise a verification platform such as the Play Store (Google) , or App Store (Apple) for the mobile part.
Try to install the references in the matter, for example for a GPS, it will be Waze, Maps, Mappy, Coyote, Via Michelin … Known and recognized names! An application from an unknown publisher, can quite easily “siphon” the data from your Smartphone, Tablet or PC.
Your behavior towards the tool will always make the difference, THE BEST ANTIVIRUS IS YOU!
Curative
If despite all these tips you are the victim of a digital attack, the first thing to do is to cut off internet access by turning off your box (at least unplug the Ethernet cable or disable the wifi), or the mobile data on your smartphone. By doing this, nothing will be able to enter or leave your devices.
Contact your bank immediately if there has been a banking transaction or an attempt to do so (even if it has failed!). You will usually find information on how to contact your bank on the back of your Carte Bleue.
You will then need to quickly call upon a professional to check, modify or implement all of the recommendations set out above.
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