We all use and enjoy the latest technological inventions, they make a great number of spheres in our lives easier and more convenient. The technological advances from the Internet to artificial intelligence have found their way to our lifestyles and continue to penetrate into.
However, together with multiple advantages comes a number of disadvantages, and one of them is the risk of data loss and identity theft.
And unfortunately, the most potentially harmful sources might be the ones we use every day and can put you at risk of being targeted by hackers. We have made some research and chose the five most commonly-used technologies that are not as trustworthy as you might think.
Smart security systems
Smart security systems help you keep an eye on your home while you are away at the office or on vacation in a different country. Such systems allow their users to sort through hundreds of hours of video recordings stored in the cloud or with the help of artificial intelligence can be able to recognize familiar faces arriving at your door.
In spite of all the cool capabilities of smart security systems, even those can have flaws. One of the indicated bugs was allowing footage from one home to be broadcasted to other homes. If hackers had been able to discover this problem first, it could have been used for their criminal intentions.
USB drives
USB drives contribute greatly to the capabilities of your personal computer, specifically by either being a convenient tool to move documents from one location to another or increasing storage capacity. Unluckily, they are quite easy for hackers to garble by loading all kinds of malware onto them.
Sadly, a lot of individuals and businesses do not realize the risk of letting employees use the Internet at the same time with unsecured USB drives. For example, after a connection with an infected computer, the USB’s files will become infected. Using that drive on other machines easily spread the infection to multiple systems.
Wi-Fi networks
People connect to Wi-Fi networks on a daily basis and rarely think about the consequences it may cause. And hackers tend to take advantage of that. They can create Wi-Fi networks open for the public which would have official-looking names (for example, JFK Airport), but such networks would be illegal. As a result, people will connect to them without any verification. In some cases, you might fill out an online form with your personal details, using such public network and pass some sensitive information like your name, address or phone number to third parties. In the worst-case scenarios, it might even lead to identity theft. Checking what is available about you online is a great idea. Big data tools, similar to Nuwber allow you to opt-out from them with just a few clicks.
Shared media files
You are already well aware of the fact that clicking on a link in an email or loading an unfamiliar attachment increases the probability of being hacked. But very likely you are certain that using popular file-sharing services is completely secure.
Once users click on links in such messages, there are being redirected and end up with loading a malicious file
Smartphones
Many people subconsciously think that smartphones are safer from malware than a computer. Bad news – it is not true. And there are many ways for the hackers to collect your personal data.
For example, they create legitimate-looking apps which load various malware in the background. They actively use SMS notifications with malicious links which pretend to be a great promotion.
Now that you are aware of some of the threats you can face as a user of technologies, tend to be more thoughtful if something seems suspicious to you.
