Could a Hacker Steal Your Memories
Memories, we are so attached to preserving memories we will go out of our way to not be in the moment to keep them. As we age this becomes more difficult as new ones replace old ones and time causes distortion. The invention of the smartphone has made it easier to store these memories, but also decreased the creation of them.
Technology has made significant advances in neuroscience, therefore we can imagine a new device will form. one that will allow us to store these memories and collect them in a way that means we will never miss them. one that is attached to our brain.
This article will answer the question: Could a hacker steal your memories?
It will focus on 4 areas
- Why would a hacker want to steal your memories
- The impact of stealing memories
- is it a possibility.
- has It already happened
Why would a hacker want to steal your memories?
Stealing memories sounds ludicrous, but is it?
Most of hackers actions are usually one of 3 things: Gain money, Gain Control or gain knowledge. Therefore we could assume the same could be said when it comes to stealing memories. Stuff like requesting ransom for special memories would become commonplace, among these attacks would also include activism, whereby those that had opposing political views could have memories stolen or manipulated to cause their views to align with the hackers. And in terms of knowledge it could allow a hacker to gain access to worrying amounts of information such as nuclear launch codes.
Many neuroscience and cybersecurity researchers have talked about the possibility of having your brain hacked which is why it has even been given it’s own term ‘brainjacking’. And if we look at this objectively hackers aren’t going to want to just hack other people brains it may include their own. Focus on manipulating their own memories could mean they could forget thoughts or times they don’t want to or delete them as you would your search history to avoid being caught or prosecuted for things they’ve done. This then ties in with the government, would they look at our thoughts and memories to see if we had committed a crime and would it become easier to frame someone?
The impact of stealing memories
The impact is great but just how great is it?
Massive, it could lead to the altering of elections, people being charged for crimes they didn’t commit and also mental warfare whereby people are given certain neurological illnesses such as Parkinson’s due to the modification of their brain.
You would constantly live in fear of what’s real and what isn’t. A clear need for cybersecurity on these devices would definitely be needed and could potentially increase the targeting of those more vulnerable or unable to purchase the most secure devices.
Is it a possibility?
Is it possible is a difficult question to answer since we don’t already have a device that is capable of doing these things, and there’s a good chance that people will be put off by such devices, although this might not apply to younger generations who are more likely to have an open mind about it.
The first thing that should be implemented is that these devices are not connected to the internet meaning a hacker will not be able to remotely access them. Also physical security preventing the removal or alteration without permission from the owner of such device and lastly encryption making sure that if a device is taken the information can also only be decoded by the owner of the device.
Education on topics on how to make sure your device is secure, such as not sharing your password, will be heavily pushed but as with current cybersecurity education many will ignore or forget it in turn making them more vulnerable. And does that mean social engineering could be a possibility as well?
Definitely social engineering would be the most likely route for a hacker to take. Currently 98% of all cyber attacks involve some form of social engineering according to Proofpoint and this is very unlikely to change in the future.
Has it already happened?
In a 2012 experiment, researchers from the University of Oxford and University of California, Berkeley managed to figure out information such as bank cards and PIN numbers just by observing the brainwaves of people wearing a popular gaming headset. The hacking of medical devices is also not a new thing, in just 2017 465000 devices were recalled after finding out they were vulnerable. Something as simple as brain scan data could be taken on certain patients could be stolen if left unsecured. And with time these risks will only become more prominent.
Perhaps this means we are just one step closer to a variation of George Orwell’s 1984.
