Protecting your online identity in an age of cybercrime
Avoid the Hack
F ootball . Monkey . Dragon . These aren ’ t the makings of a new sports league at your local zoo . For many , one of these words is the only thing protecting them from harm ’ s way on the Internet . Each year , security application provider SplashData releases a list of the top passwords compiled from leaks and security breaches , and words like “ password ,” “ 12345 ,” and those listed above consistently appear in the top 25 . For many , a simple password alongside their username or email address is all that prevents unwanted parties from making unauthorized purchases , transfers of funds , or access to personal financial information online .
As computing resources become more abundant and widely available , so does the risk of being targeted in an attack . In most cases , individuals aren ’ t specifically targeted but instead are one of hundreds or even thousands of targets in an automated brute-force campaign . A brute-force attack is one in which passwords are guessed automatically by a computer program in rapid succession . With enough targets and enough passwords to try , there is a high likelihood of getting a successful match . Modern computers can guess passwords at an alarming rate in the millions or even billions of passwords per second ! Additionally , dictionary attacks incorporate common words into their guesses to more quickly guess passwords if they are commonly found words or variations thereof . Most of us are well-aware of the biggest data breaches in the past few years . Target , Chase , Home Depot , Ebay , Sony , and TJ Maxx are just a few household names that have fallen victim to some security breach in recent times . What we don ’ t see , however , is where that information ends up when the stories fade from the front page of mainstream news outlets . We also rarely hear about data breaches that occur in many of the 28 million small businesses in the United States . Each day , Premier One logs thousands of blocked attempts from attackers trying to access its customers ’ systems . In today ’ s technological landscape , truly anyone can be a target .
Mitigating the Risks
As with other forms of security , preventing attacks and security breaches outright is not possible for online accounts . Instead , as consultants , we work with our clients to add layers of security , each with the aim of mitigating some types of risks . When it comes to personal online accounts , though , there are many steps you can take on your own to mitigate the risk of having your identity compromised .
| January-February 2016 | KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER
11