One of the most frustrating things a cybersecurity expert can hear is when people say they have nothing to hide. They don’t take steps to protect their data because they feel that they have nothing hackers would want. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.
In reality, hackers will take almost any data they can get because any data is valuable. Whether they can use it to gain access to more data or sell it on the black market, there’s a reason why data has become a valuable currency. Yet, different types of personal data hold different values, and some are more valuable to hackers than others. Here’s a quick breakdown of the different types of data hackers want and how individuals can keep them from getting it.
The Types of Data Hackers Want Most
While all data is valuable in some way, these are the types of data hackers actively seek out:
Login Credentials
It doesn’t matter where the login credentials are found – whether from a note-taking app or an email account. Cybercriminals will take any login credentials they can get because they can use them to get into other accounts. Unfortunately, this often works because people tend to reuse their passwords across different accounts and applications.
On top of that, finding passwords gives hackers more info on what passwords tend to look like. This allows them to update their brute force and dictionary attack techniques.
Financial Information
It should come as no surprise that cybercriminals are on the prowl for personal financial information. Finding anything that they can exploit for monetary gain is the goal, after all. In terms of personal finances, this includes access to banking apps, login credentials, credit card information, and bank account numbers.
Emails and Other Communication
There are several reasons why a hacker would want to either get access to an email address or get a person’s contact information. The first gives them access to a lot of personal information and potentially login access to other accounts. Since people use their email addresses to log in to other accounts. The second is to send phishing attacks filled with threats or malicious links containing malware or fake websites to capture a person’s credentials.
Personally Identifiable Information
Even a person’s name counts as personally identifiable information (PII), but hackers generally look for more than that. Personal identity documents, electronic bills, and other information give them a lot to work with. Using this information, they can file fraudulent tax returns, commit identity theft, or transfer money.
Blackmail Information
Devices like mobile phones tend to store a lot of personal information, photos, and videos that people might not want others to see. Hackers can use the information they gather to blackmail someone to pay them off in exchange for not distributing that data. Sometimes they even try to use fake information to blackmail people, as is the case with most sextortion phishing attacks.
How to Protect Personal Data
Despite all the cyberthreats out there, people aren’t defenseless. Prevention is widely considered the best policy for cyberattacks, and there are a few ways to do that.
Use a VPN to Protect the Network
So what is a VPN service? A virtual private network (VPN) is software that acts as a security layer on top of the existing network. It’s different from a firewall in that a VPN encrypts outgoing and incoming data while a firewall only restricts incoming data.
In basic terms, encryption scrambles data into indecipherable nonsense that can only be decrypted by the right key. This key is generated each time, and there’s no way for hackers to
get access to it, making it nearly impossible for them to see the data traveling over the connection.
Stick to Good Password Hygiene
Follow best password practices like using a unique password for every account and not saving passwords on browsers. Passwords should be at least 8 characters long and contain unique capitalization and symbols.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
Most apps have two-factor authentication these days, and it’s a good idea to enable it. With 2FA, an account stays safe even if a hacker gains access to it so long as they don’t access the other account or device.
Delete Old Apps and Accounts
Old apps become outdated and provide avenues for hackers to exploit their way into a device. Old accounts can be just as dangerous since they still store login credentials. If these are exposed in a breach, it can lead hackers to other, more recent accounts.
Final Thoughts
When people mention cybersecurity threats, they often talk about businesses, making it easy to forget that cybercriminals pose a threat to everyone. But don’t be fooled into becoming complacent – everyone has something a criminal wants. The key to keeping them at bay is to make gaining access to any information as hard as possible.