The importance of Internet Security

I don't claim to be an expert in the field. I could not possibly write an article on the subject in technical terms. In my opinion, however, when talking to the ordinary person, that is an advantage.

I've met a lot of people who completely disregard the issue of Internet Security. They use the same password everywhere. Sometimes it's a password like "1234". When I tell them to do something about it, they say "who's gonna want to hurt me? I'm just a nobody"

Granted, if you are a public person, the likelihood of someone trying to hack into your accounts goes up. But that doesn't mean that if you aren't a public person that likelihood is zero. All you need is someone getting to you and starting to target you. And you don't need to do something extraordinary for them to start targeting you.

Ways to get a hacker's attention on you:

1. Be friends or in the address book of someone they already hacked. There are cases when the hacker simply sends a virus/malware from a hacked address (sort of like some "hey you" strange e-mails you might occasionally receive from people you haven't talked to in centuries, that just happen to have a weird attachment or a weird link in them). If you click on the link in the e-mail or open the attachment, you basically open the door for your e-mail/computer to be hacked.

2. Leave a comment or link your website to a website that has their attention. From then on, your website or whatever e-mail address you left in the comment can be targeted.

3. Visit a website or use an online application that, while you're using it, can leave a trojan (virus that basically opens your computer up for hacking) or installs a discreet virus/malware on your computer. Usually porn websites and websites that distribute pirated software and cracks are known for such techniques, but just because you stay away from those doesn't mean you're safe.

I'm sure there are plenty others, but you get the point. You don't have to be super-popular, famous or rich to be targeted for hacking. I knew people who were doing it for the fun of it - a friend of mine used to hack accounts of people whose pictures on the Internet he found disturbing. He wasn't getting any money out of it - so that is not always the final purpose.

If you're not a computer/security expert, chances are you are quite vulnerable. If you want to know how someone can get to you, you can get freaked by this article. You will never be able to install a security system to protect yourself 100%. But you can at least not make it easy on them. Chances are the hacker won't be so stubborn as the ones in the article, unless he's really got it in for you personally (like, someone you know who has a grudge). But if you're gonna have "1234" as a password to all your accounts, it's kinda like leaving the car key in the ignition. At some point, someone will see it and steal your car.