You Need to Know 5 Worst Burglary Digital Privacy

Photo: Gawker Media (December 2010)

Breaking into computer networks and stealing data is not new. The growth of internet users make online more and more sensitive data. The issue of digital security is also becoming important.

Database storage of this sensitive data should have high security. But in reality, your name, email address, and credit card details is really valuable for hackers (hackers) and the spammers who often scavenge these data.

Recent, piercing the PlayStation Network to be one of the biggest break-ins in recent months. Following the burglary, other burglary that could be a lesson to want to protect the privacy and security online.

Gawker is a popular target in online forums and blogs. Because the media is rarely secure their data as on commercial sites. In fact, the media is giving a bonus in the form of the types of blogs and comments.

The attack on the Gawker Media expose millions of email addresses and passwords popular blog commentators, including Lifehacker, Gizmodo, and Jezebel. Outside the burglary itself, the main problem is, Gawker Media store passwords in a format that is easy to understand hackers (hackers).

In fact, sometimes some users use the same password for email and Twitter, and only takes a few hours before hackers hijack a user account and then start using it to send spam.

Using a modern browser, like Chrome or Firefox as well as a password manager, like LastPass, could almost be completely minimize the potential damage such an attack.


T.J. Maxx and Marshall (2005-2007)

In the largest data theft ever occurred, more than 45 million credit and debit card numbers stolen from department store TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Hacker Albert Gonzalez was captured in 2008 and in 2010 he was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

Between 2005 and his arrest in 2008, Gonzalez managed to steal details of more than 170 million credit and debit card numbers. His action made him become the most successful credit card thief of all time.

UK Customs (November 2007)

The data not only stored online can also be stored on CD and DVD media that can then be stolen or misplaced. In November 2007, British Customs Service lost computer disks containing the name, address and National Insurance numbers of 25 million Britons.

Fortunately, the disks were simply lost in the pile of mail. Even so, this is a proof, highly technical online piracy does not need to acquire large amounts of sensitive data.

Ministry of Veterans Affairs United States (U.S.) make a similar mistake in 2006. At that time, a laptop containing Social Security numbers belonging 26.5 million U.S. veterans was stolen.

Google and other Silicon Valley companies (mid 2009)

At the beginning of last year, many news emerged states, the Chinese government was involved in a massive attack and unprecedented in Google, Yahoo, and dozens of other Silicon Valley companies.

The news reported, China is trying to gather information about Chinese human rights activists. However, this attack then began to show a point of clarity that the attack was coming from industrial espionage.

Not known for sure what data stolen from U.S. companies. However, Google claims, some intellectual property is stolen and said it would immediately cease operations in China.

Chinese hackers take advantage of weaknesses of the old versions of Internet Explorer in order to get access to Google's internal network, and if you have not updated your web browser, you should update it now.

RSA Security (March 2011)

Cases of data breaches worst (and most ironic) occurs when there is a security company was hijacked. Antivirus and security software developer Kaspersky and Symantec several times into the victim in March 2011.

One of the greatest players, RSA Security, found internal database of sensitive and highly secret burglarized. Burglary RSA RSA including significant because the technology used to secure thousands of other systems, and hackers now know how to access them.

Theft and Fraud in Fact of Life

While these attacks were brutal and damaging financially sound, you will not feel the immediate impact. A number of fraud and theft are part of the system and the insurance companies pay large premiums for protection.

Posted in: Hacker