What happens if you get hacked and how can you prevent it? I received this question in response to the new thread Your Data and You from NEMO Kennislink. Although the scientific literature on criminal hackers and their practices is steadily growing, I’ve also learned a lot about this from case studies. So I recommend two of my favorite cybercrime podcast episodes on this blog where both science and practice tell about cybercriminals. I zoom in on specific episodes and the best anti-piracy tips discussed in them. Not a podcast listener? Don’t worry, the tips are easy to read too!
Podcast Reply to all
Reply All from Gimlet Media discuss stories about people and the Internet. This seems very broad and it is. Sometimes it comes to cybercrime, like a ring 91 Russian Traveler. In this episode Alex tells how he suddenly gets notifications from his Uberapp about taxi rides in Russia that he has to pay while in America himself. When I contacted Uber about this, they seem to have no information about it. Alex wonders if he was hacked and how this could have happened.
The hosts then spoke to several experts to investigate what happened to Alex’s account. They learn that the so-called credentials stuffing An important method is hacking accounts. Criminals use long lists of previously leaked data and see if this data also works with accounts on other websites.
Tip #1: This isn’t new, but it still is: Use different passwords for different online services. How do you remember all these passwords? No. You are using a password manager for that. I’ve written about this before on this blog.
Don’t just give all your data
In the episode, they also explained that the more likely you are to leave personal information in different places online, the more likely your data is to be misused. This increases the likelihood that your data will be found later in the data breach. Sometimes I also want to look at something. Or doing something online that requires registration, which I will probably never go back to again. In this case, if I can, enter as little real data as possible. For example, do they ask for an email address? Then I use a ‘temporary email address’.
Tip #2: Use a temporary email address where possible. These are the web addresses where you will receive some emails. When you close the inbox web page, you will lose the email address again. Do not use such services for serious business! To find a temporary email address, for example, type “temporary mail” into the search engine or choose one of These recommendations.
It is not always necessary to disclose information about you.
Later in the episode, it turns out that Alex was hacked in another way and that the second hack relates to his hacked Uber account. You’ll hear exactly what happened in the sequel 93 Beware all. This episode also explains some other technical hacks. Not too complicated, but very interesting 🙂
Cybercriminology podcast
In Michael Joyce’s Cybercriminology, researchers (mostly from the social sciences) talk about their research into cybercrime. in a Good Habits: Teaching Digital Hygiene and Self-Defense Online Dr. Ruth Schleier tells us how to learn and how to get motivated to protect ourselves. She explains that through “messages of fear,” such as “Beware of hackers!” , we take into account several things. This way we appreciate the risks of the hack and the potential consequences. We also take into account what is required for self-protection, for example in terms of time and money, but also in terms of skills.
Specifically, how well do you think you can protect yourself (Self-efficacy) It is important. If you think you can’t do it, you probably won’t. This is not only a rational consideration, but an emotional one as well. If you constantly hear that cyber security is very complex and hackers use the latest technology, you will probably quickly feel helpless. There’s a good chance you’ll give up completely to protect yourself.
digital hygiene
Sometimes cybersecurity is very complex. At the same time, Shillair has the view that you don’t have to understand everything about computers (I don’t either). Know that a few simple things can go a long way to digital self-protection — or digital hygiene. Most of us aren’t virologists either, but we know that washing your hands with soap is important against pathogens.
Tip #3: Realize that with a few basic steps you can keep cybercriminals away for good. Like the well-known “Keep your software up to date” and “Don’t click on links in strange emails”.
Tip No. 4: As Shillair says, your password should remain confidential, and the ways in which you protect yourself should not. So: talk about it together!
Remember a nice podcast about cybercrime or a particular podcast episode where you learned something new? Share it below so others can learn from it too!
