Hacking Essay

While hacking may be more known as a single person sitting at a computer, hacking was actually started by the United States Government in 1982, when Soviet Union gas pipeline computer software was hacked by the Central Intelligence Agency resulting in an explosion of the gas line. An article written by Alec Russell of The Telegraph stated, “After securing President Reagan 's approval in January 1982, the CIA tricked the Soviet Union into acquiring software with built-in flaws.” The installed software caused the gas line to actually explode. While this type of attack was not an identity theft case, it was the first type of well-known computer attack utilizing computer software, which is the most common way identity thieves are able to commit …show more content…
Companies have written policies and procedures for how their employees use their email, what types of websites they visit and reporting guidelines for lost or stolen credentials. Another way to combat data breaches is to require third party contractors to maintain the same stringent policies protecting their credentials, due to some of the larger data breaches being caused by hackers using contractor information to slip past firewalls. Many of the attacks and data breaches of large corporations would not have occurred if their employees protected their credentials, so it shows the firewalls being developed to protect server infrastructure are working. Because hackers only make money on selling identities in bulk, stopping the large scale data breaches is the first step in combating the problem. Bankrate.com states “While the loss of a pivotal piece of personal information can cost you big-time, thieves aren 't exactly breaking the bank on any single transaction. Instead, they make money by selling in bulk. If they sell 100,000 Social Security numbers for a penny each, that 's …show more content…
Individuals should follow the same guidelines they would at work, which includes maintaining difficult passwords for online accounts like email and banking log-ins. They should keep the passwords hidden and not leave them in the open for anyone to see. They should also monitor their credit history through credit monitoring services and be vigilant of suspicious mail, involving newly created accounts, coming to their home. Any documents with personal information like applications, credit/debit cards, tax information and bills should be shredded or destroyed before being thrown in the trash. People can also subscribe to services which monitor someone’s identity and history for suspicious activity. While these services may quickly catch an act of identity theft, people must weigh the cost of the service versus the ability to monitor their own identity. The Federal Trade Commission states, “Many companies refer to their services as identity theft protection services. In fact, no service can protect you from having your personal information stolen. What these companies offer are monitoring and recovery services. Monitoring services watch for signs that an identity thief may be using your personal information. Recovery services help you deal with the effects of identity theft after it