Get Tech Support Now - (818) 584-6021 - C2 Technology Partners, Inc.

Get Tech Support Now - (818) 584-6021 - C2 Technology Partners, Inc.

C2 provides technology services and consultation to businesses and individuals.

T (818) 584 6021
Email: info@c2techs.net

C2 Technology Partners, Inc.
26500 Agoura Rd, Ste 102-576, Calabasas, CA 91302

Open in Google Maps
QUESTIONS? CALL: 818-584-6021
  • HOME
  • BLOG
  • SERVICES
    • Onsite Support
    • Encryption
    • Backups
  • ABOUT
    • Privacy Policy
FREECONSULT
Tuesday, 10 January 2017 / Published in Woo on Tech

CIA Director targeted by US hackers

Time for caution!

This particular story could be one of dozens (or even hundreds) of these types of incidents that occur in any given week: “government official gets social media and email accounts hacked” which then leads to highly confidential data being leaked on the internet. Except in this case it was the current US Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan, and several other highly-ranked government officials, and the data that was leaked was data from nearly 30k Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security employees.  Also unusual was that the hackers charged in this breach aren’t Russian or Chinese or North Korean. Nope, at least one of the responsible parties hails from North Carolina. And the real reason I’m bringing this story to your attention was this most important facet of the attack: Brennan and the other victims in this incident weren’t compromised through sophisticated malware and technology – the attackers fooled people associated with the victims – usually service providers – through simple tools like emails and phone calls, under the guise of providing technical assistance.

What this means for you:

“Social engineering” is the digital-age equivalent of con artistry, and it is becoming trivially easy to perpetrate given our reliance on tools like email and large, impersonal corporations. In the case of the above, one of the cons included the hacker actually posing as a Verizon technician in order to fool another Verizon employee into resetting Brennan’s email password, and they just worked their way inward from there. As you should know by now, once a hacker is in your email, it’s all over but the crying. Sadly, there’s not much you can personally do to improve poor security practices at companies like Verizon, and despite impersonation being one of the oldest cons in the book, people still regularly fall for it.

It’s only a matter of time before anyone gets hacked – we are human after all, and despite what you might want to believe, there is always someone more clever than you out there, and if you are unlucky, that person is out to get you. You can practice something that is well known to outfits like the CIA and FBI: compartmentalization. Since none of us are intelligence agents (that I know of!), for our purposes this means keeping personal and work activities separate. You can execute this concept in a number of different ways:

  1. Keeping work and personal emails in separate accounts
  2. Use separate devices for social networking and financial activities like online banking
  3. Use unique passwords for all your important accounts
  4. Exchange confidential information through appropriate secure channels
  5. Store confidential information in properly secured and backed up locations
  6. Require two-factor security for your most important accounts

The key to proper execution of this practice is discipline and vigilance. It may be inconvenient and seem inefficient, but weighed against the alternatives, it will be worth the effort.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  • Tweet
Tagged under: CIA, data breach, FBI, government, Hacking, security, social engineering

What you can read next

Windows 8
If you want Windows 8, get it now!
Chrome Logo
Chrome not as safe as you might think
The iPad Air
It’s Raining Tablets

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • SolarWinds blames intern for weak password scandal

    Despite their best efforts, SolarWinds isn&#821...
  • Apple-logo.png

    New Malware hits 30k Macs

    Not even three months into Apple’s releas...
  • Biohazard warning

    Poor IT practices led to Florida utility hack

    Last week the sleepy Florida town of Oldsmar ma...
  • Facebook – Too little, too late?

    When working with people who are actively attem...
  • Things you should know as a WFH Pro

    While the past year has been no picnic for anyo...

Archives

  • GET SOCIAL
Get Tech Support Now - (818) 584-6021 - C2 Technology Partners, Inc.

© 2016 All rights reserved.

TOP