In the course of one business day, you handle a lot of sensitive information. So you’re not unaware of the fact that hackers want to get into your system and potentially steal things like your clients’ credit card numbers. But you might be surprised to learn that that’s not all they’re after! Cyber criminals can get very creative when coming up with new schemes, so you need to do more than just protect your data. Here are five surprising things that hackers want from you.
Your social media accounts. You might think that hackers wouldn’t care about access to your personal messages on Facebook or other social media platforms, but there’s actually plenty they can do with your account, should they gain access. Your social media account can be used to send spam messages to all of your contacts, or even to extort friends and family out of money by pretending to be you.
Access to your webcam. If your computers are infected with a remote administration tool (RAT), hackers could remotely control your webcam. And yes, as bizarre as it sounds, there are strange people online who will pay to watch you go about your daily activities unaware of their spying (this is especially true if you’re female). In other cases, people have been extorted by those who have watched their activities and blackmailed them
Your medical information. Believe it or not, data from medical files is actually more valuable on the black market than credit card numbers. That’s because most people eventually detect that their card numbers have been stolen and cancel the cards. However, information from your medical files will contain things like your Social Security number and other data that can be used to commit identity theft and fraud.
Your online accounts. If you use services like Uber or DoorDash, your credit card information might be stored there. Hackers aren’t looking to have food delivered on your dime; they want the card information itself.
Remote use of your computer. Sometimes, hackers aren’t even after the data stored within your computer. They want to use the computer itself, as part of a “botnet” to run other schemes like DDOS attacks and distributing malware to others.
As you can see, internet security must cover all of the bases beyond just data protection! Give us a call at 888-RING-MY-TECH, and we can troubleshoot your system from top to bottom. After identifying any weak points, we will set up a secure perimeter to keeps all of your information and equipment safe.
