SAFETY TIP OF THE WEEK

With AI applications speeding up the work of hackers, be cautious of applications and websites that collect your data. Your data, even if anonymized, can still be used to find and target you with phishing scams and malware.

TODAY’S TOPIC

Data Breaches and Data Anonymization Failures

If you aren’t well-versed in computer science, news about data breaches and cybersecurity might feel overwhelming. Average American citizens don’t typically see the consequences of the breaches immediately, so it can be easy to put the discomfort of them out of mind. Unfortunately, with the help of AI, many malicious actors online are developing new ways to steal your information, and in the age of cyberwarfare, your information may be a casualty. 

Hackers and cyberthreat groups have ramped up their abilities to steal information at an alarming rate. From AI generated phishing scams to insidious malware, hackers have found new ways to access your information at different levels of its collection, and they are able to perpetrate cyber attacks rapidly with a high volume of targets. Through phishing scams, you may be tricked into clicking a link over text or email that gives a hacker access to your personal information. At the institutional level, you might give your information to a website or institution that you trust, but if the site is attacked or seeded with “Trojan Horse” malware, your information might be siphoned off for the use of the attackers. 

On the other side of cyberwarfare, businesses and governments have developed new methods to protect data, but these are not always enough to protect your information. Anonymization and encryption are common methods of preventing hackers from linking your data to you, but some hackers have developed techniques to trace data back to you, even when it is anonymized or encrypted. From your address to your banking information and social security numbers, your information can be taken and exploited by individual hackers, hacking groups, and foreign adversaries.

_{WHAT CAN YOU DO?}

The most important thing you can do to protect your information from predatory hackers is to give your information only to organizations you trust and to monitor news for data breaches. To date, AI has been used as a tool for cyber offense and defense, but it has not yet created its own unique form of attack. As AI tools enhance the way hackers can steal information, keep these tips in mind to protect your information when a breach occurs.

• Change Your Passwords: If a company or website you trust has been hacked, change your password to limit a hacker’s prolonged access to your information. It is good to have different passwords for different accounts, and to routinely update your passwords. 

• Monitor Your Accounts: If your bank or credit card organization is targeted by a cyber attack, after changing your password, keep an eye on your account to make sure all the activity is verifiably you. 

• Use Two-Factor Authentication: Two-factor authentication allows you to confirm a sign-in to your account with a secondary device. Google, for example, uses two-factor authentication whenever you attempt to access your gmail from a new device. Many other websites with sensitive information allow you to opt into this feature, and it is a great barrier against attempts to remotely access your information. 

• Review Identity Protections on Your Different Accounts and Avoid Third-Party Identify Protection Services: Companies and websites that manage your sensitive information may or may not offer protections for you if your information is stolen. Unfortunately, third-party identity protection companies often exaggerate the services they provide and rely too heavily on insurance, which may not recover your losses if your banking or credit card information is stolen.

▶ Slang Word of the Week: “Sus” adj. – an abbreviation of “suspicious,” which is typically used when someone is acting secretively. This word is often used among boys to mean “gay,” since a boy who has feelings for other boys might be secretive about those feelings.