Youth Incorporated Magazine

The Internet is filled with 99 great things but one bad thing is alone enough for anyone to lose access to those 99 things. To be simple, your password is your key to get access to all good things on the internet but what if that very password gets stolen one day? There have been incidents of a billion – yes, billion – of passwords and personal details getting stolen from social networking sites and personal devices.

Here are some ways you can know your privacy has been compromised and how you can fight back!

(We have also provided some tips for you at the end through which you can protect yourself from this situation.)

Getting Fake Antivirus Warnings.

This is one of the surest signs that your system has been compromised. Many people tend to ignore these fake warnings and till the time they realise, the damage is already done. There is no reason why a malicious program will be bothered about your device’s safety. If by any chance one clicks on the link, the person will be taken to a professional looking website and will be asked to enter their credit card number. On the other hand, Cancelling or Clicking No to stop the fake virus from scanning is too late.

What to do – Immediately shut down your computer/switch off your device. Boot your device and uninstall all recently installed software.

Your Friends Receive Invites From Your Profile.

This seems funny but is one of the unusual ways of losing your details to the hacker. If you and your friends receive invitations to “be a friend” even when you are already friends on that social media site, that means the hacker has already started controlling your or your friend’s profile. S/he may have created a second near-look-alike bogus page, or you or friend has installed a rogue social media application.

What to do – Make your friends aware of that profile and ask everyone to block or report the same.

Shows That Your Password Is Incorrect.

This is the most common way people’s social media profiles are hacked. If you are typing in your online password correctly and it isn’t working, then a hacker probably has logged in using it and changed it to keep you out.

What to do- Inform all your friends and family and ask them to stop engaging with that profile and immediately contact the online service through mail or just click on ‘help’.

You Are Repeatedly Redirected To Random Internet Links.

Hackers actually earn money for redirecting your browser somewhere other than you want to go. They get paid for getting your clicks to appear on someone else’s website, often those who don’t know that the clicks to their site are from malicious redirection.

What to do- check your C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts file to see if there are any malicious-looking redirections configured within or if it is happening in your phone, just clear cache or data of your browser by going to “settings”.

Unwanted Software Is Installed In Your Device.

Every few hours a new software is made available for people to use, but that is not the bad part. Bad is when this software is used by hackers to collect your passwords and private details from your device. They do this to hide themselves. Many malware programs these days are Trojans and worms, and they typically install themselves like legitimate programs.

What to do – Keep check of your app downloads and make sure to disable the ones you are not sure about.

Some other tips to save your privacy from getting compromised:

• Employ a different password everywhere you conduct online affairs.
• Enable two-step verification or two-factor authentications.
• Avoid using WIFI connections in public places
• Delete accounts that are not in use
• Update smartphone and computer apps regularly
• Never use Google for logging into sites
• Never share your OTP (One Time Password) with anyone
• Install an anti-virus in your computer
• Keep changing your passwords regularly

With time, technology has grown smarter and have found an amazing way to stop hackers’ businesses. The advent of fingerprint sensors and face identification features are just one of the many ways of protecting one’s privacy from getting compromised.