WGRZ Buffalo Interview with clevermethod:
Top 5 Tips to Protect Yourself Online
VIEW THIS POST ON CLEVERMETHOD’S OFFICIAL BLOG
Yesterday WGRZ’s Kelly Dudzik stopped by to talk with us about Internet Security, and how people can prevent account hacking.
The interview was inspired by what the online world saw yesterday in a shocking — and fake — tweet from the Associated Press (@APNews), as seen below. Not much information has been provided as to who hacked into AP’s Twitter account and posted this, but AP suspended the account within minutes of the incident and it remains suspended at this time.
Reports showed that the fake tweet sent ripples of chaos through the social network and even caused a sharp drop in the stock market. Twitter has had a string of incidents where popular and Verified Accounts have been hacked into by activists or pranksters.
The tweet that shocked the Internet on the afternoon of April 23, 2013.
The Top 5 Tips to Protect Yourself Online
Kelly Dudzik of WGRZ tweeted the 5 tips discussed with Matt from clevermethod last night:
- “The most important thing that I would recommend is using a strong password.”
- “Another important thing would be to not use the same password for multiple sites.”
- “As well as changing it often.”
- “Putting a password on their wifi, a password even on their home router on the admin part of it.”
- “You can enter your password using a mouse,so that’s a good idea.You can use a bookmark so you actually didn’t type in the address.”
Twitter takes responsibility.
This incident was enough for many to finally point the finger at Twitter to take responsibility for providing stronger account security, which they have swiftly responded to:
Account ‘hacking’ has been an ongoing issue with Twitter particularly because of how high-profile and easily accessible accounts are. Other Verified Accounts that have been affected have been CBS News and even North Korea’s.
A common source of Twitter account hacking is from the internet-activist group that calls themselves Anonymous. Most average people with Twitter accounts need not worry about getting ‘hacked’ by Anonymous since they tend to target only high-profile accounts like the aforementioned CBS News or North Korea’s Twitter to make a political statement, usually centered around some issue they are attempting to bring to mainstream media spotlight. Often, however, the issue gets lost in the reporting and the news focuses on the actions rather than the message. Perhaps a more ethical and effective means of reaching out to audiences will be used now that Twitter is turning on the added security.
Some incidents often take on a humorous tone, but nevertheless highlight the glaring need for the added layer of security. Regardless of whether your Twitter account is Verified or if you have 2 followers, protecting your account with a strong, non-sequential, alphanumeric password is highly advised for general security reasons.
