On February 25, 2016, an article appeared in USA Today where journalist, Steven Petrow, tells the story of his computer getting hacked while on a flight to North Carolina. He was using the Gogo internet service to work on an article about the potential impact of the Apple FBI case on ordinary Americans. A passenger on the same flight hacked into his email account mid-air (along with those of a few other passengers). Upon landing in Raleigh, the hacker admitted to the USA Today columnist what he had done explaining that since the reporter was exploring the impact of a privacy violation on an ordinary person, he decided to conduct his own demonstration to show Petrow just how important the issue of privacy is.
I should let you know now that the point of this blog is not to argue either side of the Apple FBI case. What strikes me most about this story is perception about cyber security in general. No matter how many times we’re warned about public Wi-Fi, many of us are still tempted to access sensitive, personal and sometimes financial information on public networks. The article is appropriately titled, “Using public Wi-Fi is like posting on a Times Square billboard.”
In a time where identity theft and cyber hacking are daily occurrences, it is crucial to be vigilant in protecting yourself from internet crime.
Click here to read our July 2014 Sigma Summaries newsletter “Protecting Your Assets from Cyber Fraud.”
All comments and suggestions are welcome.
Tamika Hall