The internet is a vast place, which houses tons of information and data, whether its public or private. Whether it’s with our research essay or transferring money, the World Wide Web does make our lives easier and helps us in many ways, at the same time though, it can be very dangerous. Since so much private information is stored on the internet, it makes the place very attractive to thieves, who can access this information through hacking. On top of this, online data is not very secure, making it very easy to steal off the internet.

 

Millions to billions of people who use the internet have their data stolen as a result of hacking. There may be many accounts that are unknown too. Some of these are stolen by Hackers. Most company’s consider it in their best interest to not show all stolen records, as it may damage their reputation. However it is these stolen records that can result in crimes such as identity theft, which is someone using your data to impersonate you. This can result in hackers stealing money from your bank account, using your health insurance, and more. This can also lead to having your data put up for ransom, or being manipulated by figures such as politicians, which happened during the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018. To make it worse, sometimes large companies and corporations allow your data to be stolen, or steal it themselves and sell it online, which means that we are vulnerable to anyone and everyone who could be trying to steal our data.

 

We ran a survey, targeting adults above 30 years old, who all used the internet on a daily basis. Of them:

• 50% did not or were unsure they had protection against software such as malware or ransomware

• 90% uploaded personal data on the internet

• 60% were fine with their data being used without their consent

• None of them, 0% of them, read the Terms and conditions.

This shows how many people are not putting in any effort to protect their data, which can be done easily.

 

 

 

 

 

We can take multiple measures to protect our data. We can start by downloading an antivirus, which scans computers and files you try to download, and can identify if they are viruses or not. You could use software to encrypt your data, making it harder for hackers to access it. You could use verification software to avoid opening emails that contain malware/ransomware. You could backup your data, so even if something happens to it, you do not lose it and still have access to it. Before disposing off one of your devices, you could use software to wipe the disk clean, so that no one can access the data that was previously on it. One other thing you could do is always update your devices, as to not miss any critical security updates. You could secure your network, by configuring your router so it does not display its name or SSID.

 

Even simple acts such as turning your computer off when you are not using it can help, as it is not connected to the internet if it is off, and therefore your computer cannot be accessed. Not storing your passwords in your devices, is a good ideas, for if the device gets hacked, they can then access all of your other information. This is how you can make yourself safe from online attacks.